More than I deserve...

Three years ago, today, I married my best friend.

What an amazing feeling to know that God led you to the perfect person to walk through life with.

I’m thankful for AJ every day but especially today as we celebrate our 3^rd Wedding Anniversary.

(JJ Heller - “Where I Land”)

You’re different from the way I thought you’d be
But here you are in front of me
So full of light I watch it overflow
A lovely mystery

And I am lost for words
You’re more than I deserve

You have a way of stirring up my soul
Did you know
When you hold me in your arms the way you do
It feels like coming home

And I am lost for words
You’re more than I deserve
And when I cannot stand
You are where I land

And when the years have stolen youth away
I will stay
You will be the keeper of my heart
Until my final day

And I am lost for words
You’re more than I deserve
And when I cannot stand
You are where I land 

Love,

Elyse

Happy Thanksgiving...

Hello Thanksgiving.

Did I eat too much today? Yes.

Did I watch some football today? Yes.

Did I enjoy the company of my family today? Yes.

I’m one of those lucky people who is blessed with a large and amazing family. I enjoyed every minute with them and though they will never know how much I truly appreciate them…it was a lovely afternoon.

I’m thankful that my husband is my best friend.

I’m thankful for a wonderful family.

I’m thankful for fun and fabulous friends.

I’m thankful that we have jobs, homes, health and a country where we are free to celebrate.

I’m thankful that we take a day out of the year to eat great food, with amazing people to acknowledge how truly blessed we are in life.

I hope that your Thanksgiving Day was as wonderful as mine. I ate some delicious food, I enjoyed the company of my sweet family and ended the day snuggling with the pups on the sofa. A girl really can’t ask for much more.

(An arm full of blessings)

Love,

Elyse

Tuesday Thanks...

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

It's Tuesday...and after a long and stressful work day I'm thankful....
                                                                                                     ... that tomorrow is a new day.

What are YOU thankful for?

Love,
Elyse

Little Miss Thankful...

This Thursday we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day surrounded by our friends and family. A day that seems better known for gluttony and football, I decided maybe I ought to start giving thanks a bit earlier this week to get into the right spirit.

So here it is…Monday and I’m thankful for…Family.

“Oh Elyse that’s what EVERYONE says.”

I know. But do we really ever take the time to explain why we are thankful for them?

While I was sitting here trying to think of a way to best describe why I am thankful for family, my mind wandered to the Roger Hargreaves cartoons: Mr. Men and Little Miss.

Then it hit me…that’s the perfect way to describe them…

I’m thankful because my family is the perfect combination of Little Miss/Mr:

Lover

Instigator

Provider

Comedian

Faithful

Care taker

Fun

Grumpy

Encourager

Reality Check Provider

Fighter

Cheer

Snuggler

Friend

Helpful

Stress Ball

Optimist

Leader

Goofball

Worrier

Brave

Pessimist

Listener

I love all of my Mr. and Little Miss Family.

It’s Monday…what are YOU thankful for?  

Love,

Elyse

Perspective...

I had a “bad” day yesterday. You know those days where it seems like everyone is out to get you and every email/call you receive seems laced in disdain?

It was a looooong day and I was all set to text husband a detailed diatribe about how rude people are and how I’d like to judo chop those who don’t say thank you.

I decided instead of sending this whiny text, that I would do one of my favorite after work rituals:

Look up random songs on YouTube to see if I come across any gems or anything that fits my mood that day (I still have yet to find a song called “Mondays are evil & rude people suck”).

I happened to stumble across a song by Barlowgirl called “I Believe in Love”. In the video, the group explains how they came up with the lyrics for the song and what inspired them to begin with – a quote. Intrigued, I searched further into the quote that they mentioned and found it on several websites about the Holocaust.

This quote was found scratched on a concentration camp wall and it hit me like a ton of bricks when I read it:

I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining.

I believe in love even when I don’t feel it.

I believe in God even when He is silent.

Hello Perspective.

I’m constantly reminding myself to focus on that word and that is exactly what this quote forced me to do.

That quote was precisely what I was supposed to stumble across yesterday.

Now here’s the part where I provide you with an awkward/slightly entertaining visual of how I imagine this all happened…so bear with me:

When I pray I ask God to walk by my side and to guide me each day. I’m prone to daydreaming and random ideas, so naturally a mental image of us literally walking side by side comes to mind * Side Note: I am also an inherently clumsy girl and I imagine walking next to God that I would still retain this embarassing quality.

So picture this: Me and God just strolling along, while I vent to him about how awful my Monday was, when all of a sudden I stumble and fall on my face.

God’s response: “Walk much?” (Before helping me back on my feet)

Why try to create such a cartoonish visual you ask? Because I realized that I didn’t just “stumble” into those words on my own yesterday, God directed me to them. I tripped right into the quote that he wanted me to read to bring everything back into perspective and to help me back on my feet.

So did I really have a "bad" day? Nope...I had a frustrating day and everyone has them. Lesson Learned: Get up, brush yourself off and be thankful that your day was full of challenges instead of devastation.

Oh lovely Perspective:

It’s like falling on your face…blaming the ground…and then realizing that you tripped over your own feet.

Love,

Elyse

If I have to take this journey…then you’re all coming with me

Inspired by the documentary “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” and the beginning of our most recent “Biggest Loser” style competition among friends…today is Day 1 of heading in a better direction.

In the documentary, Joe completes a 60 day fresh juice fast and not only loses 100+ pounds but is able to eliminate all of the medications that he was dependent on. He calls it a "Reboot".

The film was inspiring and of course I turned to AJ and immediately proclaimed that I will be juice fasting…to which he laughed…understandably.  
Upon AJ’s suggestion (I'm guessing he gave this suggestion for his sanity and for mine) I decided not to go on a 100% juice fast but rather incorporate the juicing into my meals each day.

I have to imagine that a cup of fruit and vegetable juice trumps chips and salsa as a nutritional snack any day…though I am already am having chip withdrawals.

The recent addition of a juicer to our household brought me one step closer along with a lengthy trip to the grocery store where I actually had to pay attention to the signs in the produce section (Quite honestly thought Kale was a sea creature/plant until yesterday).

Today’s Juice: Green Lemonade

1 Green Apple
3 handfuls Spinach, 1.5 cup
6-8 Kale leaves, 2 cups
1/2 Cucumber
4 Celery Stalks
1/2 Lemon

Calories: 210
Protein: 10 g
Fiber: 1 g

Before:

After:

Let me first say…it blows my mind that all of that food can be condensed into less than a full cup of juice. Let me also just say…it would be quite the investment of both time and money to juice your meals 4 – 6 times a day. Yikes.

The juice was interesting...I imagine had I given it to husband he would likely have made a gagging noise and asked why I would ever do that to him.

Tomorrow I’ll try another recipe and perhaps I’ll stumble across an even better one. Regardless, it was a great way to get tons of veggies/nutrients into my system and it was a good snack option.

Oh and of course I can’t forget to explain the “Biggest Loser” Competition.
The Cliff’s Notes Version: Matt, AJ and Elyse (every man/woman for him/herself)…Who can lose the highest percentage of weight by Christmas (near there).

We all weighed in this weekend and I’m not sure if I’ve just been playing too much Wii Fit but I’m almost positive that our regular bathroom scale audibly gasped when I stepped on it. Inanimate objects can be so cruel.

If you feel like exploring some of the Reboot juice recipes: http://jointhereboot.com/reboot-program/recipes/juice-recipes/

There are also recipes for smoothies, soups, salads and other healthy foods on the site as well.
Let me know if you try any of them!

Love,

Elyse

The Mean Reds...

This Month's Theme: Be positive and Maintain Perspective.

I think Ms. Holly Golightly put it best when she said, "You know those days when you've got the mean reds.... the blues are because you're getting fat or maybe it's been raining too long. You're sad, that's all. But the mean reds are horrible."

Lately I've had been struggling to stay positive. It happens to the best of us and I doubt there is anyone who is ammune to it. Nothing bad has happened recently and yet when I allow myself to be negative it follows me around...it's like stepping in gum.

Yep...that's the best visual I can give you for negativity today...gum.

You step in gum (not a big deal) and you get annoyed. So you try to brush it off and move on with your day but you still feel the gum when you walk and that makes it even more annoying.
So you tell yourself that you'll get over it once you kick your shoes off at home to relax. Wrong.
The negativity gum has tracked its way through the house and that's it...gloves are off...you're spending the rest of the evening in Negativity Town...and you're taking anyone nearby with you (sorry husband). 

It is so easy to lose perspective and focus on silly little things that really aren't a big deal at all. We all do it...I'm as guilty as the next guy and I'm working on it.

A big thank you to Carla (my sweet mother-in-law) who recently handed me a page from a book she's been reading:

"It doesn't matter what you're going through, or how big your opponents are. Keep an attitude of faith. Stay calm. Stay in a positive frame of mind."

Good advise Mr. Osteen.

So in keeping with this week's theme (Be Positive and Maintain Perspective) I will share with you the idea I had awhile ago and that I finally put into action today:

http://fullofreason.blogspot.com/

I think this site is just what I need to stay positive and keep perspective....

Love,
Elyse

"Elyse...you have a butt chin."

Thank you Kristin for that little gem  :-)

I had every intention of making this post insightful, clever and very entertaining…but alas…I have lost said inspiration and instead will leave you with this:


Our Annual Girls Trip 2011

Highlights: Munds Park, Just Dance 2, Carlos, Flagstaff, Wine, Terrorizing Sedona, Shopping, Fabulous food and of course good company.

A few pictures of our shenanigans below.

On an unrelated note…I’ve had trouble sleeping lately…I think I’m on the verge of a really great idea…more to come soon.

Love,
Elyse

Alright…only 2 months later

...and as much as I hate to admit it...I fell off the wagon today…and I’m returning to FB.

I really miss getting to see my family’s new pictures and updates on their family shenanigans. :-(

See http://eb-allyouneedislove.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html post for background of why I’m referring to this as “falling off the wagon”.

You win Courtney…I’m coming back.

I wonder if they have FB addict meetings?

Love,

Elyse

The Grand Canyon...

Let me first start by saying that I am afraid of heights.
Not the “I can’t wear 6 inch heels, climb stairs or ride an escalator” type of scared…just the “don’t make me climb that ladder and don’t even think about asking me to climb on top of a roof” type.

I think there are more of us out there than we’d care to admit.

Now let me digress into a different subject that I promise will relate to the overall story: I am an Arizona native. I am proud to have always lived in the state of excessive heat, cactus, fake tans/blondes and fantastic Mexican food.

BUT…I always had one embarrassing Native flaw…I had never been to the Grand Canyon.

To remedy this blemish on my Native status, I tagged along with my family to one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World and found that while beautiful…this place is not height-a-phobic friendly (I believe acrophobia is the correct term but it sounds awkward…so I’m not using it).

God bless my family for putting up with me because I spent 50% of the day admiring the views and the other 50% worrying that one of my family members would trip over a rock and go plummeting into the giant death trap we had come to visit.

The weather was perfect and I had a great time (pictures below) but I realize now that I was just a tad ridiculous when it came to my fear of falling.

So now that I’m safely in my home far far away from jagged rocks and cliffs that lead to a surely dismal end…I can review the both silly and deep life lessons learned from my visit to the Grand Canyon:

1) Do not feed the squirrels. While these little guys appear to be adorable and fluffy creatures that seem sweet enough to sing and help little birds dress Cinderella each morning…they are in reality…vicious. Feeding these squirrels is like putting water on a gremlin…it causes them to multiply and act crazy. Allegedly I tried to take a picture of our cute fur friends which caused the leader of the pack (picture the Godfather of squirrels) to lunge for my phone thinking it was food…or maybe he hates paparazzi…regardless…don’t feed the squirrels.

2) Do not be scared of breath taking opportunities or moments. Fear of possibility is just a waste of time.

3) All you need for the best souvenir…almost anywhere you visit…is 51 cents. Penny smashing machines are by far the best memorabilia. Geeky smashed penny enthusiasts go to www.pennycollector.com to see locations of these fabulous machines. :-)

4) Do not be blind to God’s blessings and miracles: Something as awe inspiring as the ocean and the Grand Canyon or as simple as a friend/family member who was brought into your life at the moment when you needed them the most. While very different…each of these things are remarkable and we often forget to acknowledge or fully appreciate them.

And last…but certainly not least…

5) Tuck and roll. If you do trip and find yourself falling into the beautiful Grand Canyon…tuck and roll.

Love,

Elyse

Not sure which is more alarming: Adorable/Evil Squirrel or Handlebar Mustache Man with Canada socks...beware of both.

Elyse Navidad...

You know what’s kind of silly?


It occurred to me that it’s a little odd that the tradition is to give gifts to the person who was born on the birthday instead of to the parents.

Okay, I know that sounds ridiculous but hear me out on this one.
On the eve on my 27th birthday I think it’s time we consider how backwards this all is.

Let’s break it down and see who really earned these gifts…

For 9 months Mom had to lug me around 24/7 while I napped and ate at my leisure.

Mom: 1 Elyse: 0

I’m told by a reliable source that I had to be “induced” because I was so content with my life of leisure. Seriously...I'm pretty sure I had no intention of budging.

I don’t know if Mom and Dad really get points for that one…maybe more like
Doctor: 1 Elyse: 0

Then for many hours Mom proceeded to go through a painful birthing process that did not involve any “let’s pretend this isn’t actually happening” drugs.

Mom: 2 Elyse: 0

Kudos by the way.
Dad earns 2 points as well  - Not only for supporting and taking care of a very hungry wife for 9 months but also for not running away scared when he saw that his new baby resembled E.T. phoning home.

Now don’t get me wrong…I love getting gifts and surprises on my birthday…it is one of my FAVORITE days and clearly I have an enthusiasm for the holiday that I now call “Elyse Navidad”.
But if we were all being honest about it …our parents really are the ones who should get the gifts on our birthdays.

So this year I am making sure to say “Happy Birthday Mom and Dad”.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day that you would both think (but not say out loud)
“Hmmm are you sure you gave us the right baby?”

Love,

Elyse

Simon...

Today I deleted all the pictures and as much information as I could from my FaceBook account. Then I proceeded to delete my FaceBook account.


Is there anything wrong with this website? Nope.

Did anything happen to make me want to delete my account? Not really.

I should start from the beginning of this story… every night we lay down to go to sleep and it goes a little something like this: AJ turns on the tv and finds a show he thinks is entertaining. He then manages to fall asleep with the remote in his hand in such a position that if I want to take it… it’s similar to Indiana Jones trying to move the relic without setting off the booby traps.

So I tend to lay there listening to whatever nonsense is on at midnight and trying to get my brain to slow down. I have never been able to understand why I’m not like most people when it comes to energy levels.

A normal person is a lot like a snow globe:

Snow globe before someone shakes it = Normal person sleeping

Shake up the snow globe = Normal person waking up with movement and energy throughout the day.

Snow globe particles eventually rest again = Normal person sleeping

And this all makes sense…that’s how someone’s energy level should be right?

I liken my energy level to the game Simon:

Simon game not started = Elyse Sleeping

Start Simon game (boring because it’s so easy in the beginning) = Elyse attempting to wake up and still dragging for quite some time throughout the day.

Simon game decides to get all Kill Bill on you and gets super fast and crazy = Elyse’s energy at night…when normal people are sleeping.

I digress…

So I’m lying in bed last night thinking about how I really should be using my time more wisely. Let’s not get crazy…I’m not going to stop watching television or surfing the internet but I do waste time that could be spent reading, spending time with the husband/family/friends, cleaning (much needed) , volunteering or exercising (also much needed).

Then it hit me…FaceBook.

FaceBook is my crack…my cigarette…my nightcap. I had the FaceBook application on my phone, on my ipod and of course access to it on my computer. I checked it periodically throughout the day, after work, while trying to do homework, while watching a movie, before bed…it was ridiculous. What a waste of time.

Do I really need to know that BlahBlah went to the movies today and had a super fabulous time? Nope. Do I really need to know that YaddaYadda updated their status to “In a Relationship” and now likes “Aerosmith” and “Kittens”. Nope.

Ultimately, I stay in touch with my close friends and family and it has nothing to do with this website so it was time to say goodbye to good ol’ FB.

So that’s it folks…I am no longer a FB junky…quit cold turkey and feeling good.

I will now focus more of my time on other things…perhaps this blog...it’s been neglected and it’s definitely a good outlet for my randomness.

Love,

Elyse