We all go through times that are harder than others. This is one of the harder ones for me. I’m a smart girl, a confident girl, even sort of pretty but those are poor buffers to the darkness that is in the world. Confidence only lasts so long as those things you pride yourself on sustain. My sources of pride are my smarts, my wits, my goofy sense of humor and *yes* my looks…but what has always gotten me through the hard times is my confidence. The confidence in myself to figure out the hard parts that life throws at me, to find and keep good friends, and to nurture my loved ones. And now–now I’m failing.

There are parts of you that break, a bone perhaps, and they grow back thicker, more dense; your body’s repair mechanisms are amazing! Your mind works much in the same way, I believe. Old wounds can heal over and strengthen you. Wouldn’t you know it that once you’ve broken a bone, the healed tissues are actually more fragile and the next time it will break with even less force. And that’s where I am now. Old wounds, old scars, new fissures of my mind to protect and heal.

How do you pride yourself on self-preservation when you allow these things to happen? It seems like part of the human process but the depression and numbness that comes with it is just so alienating. Couldn’t we all just be depressing together in a room and have a hug-out? That might lift the gloom for me.

Ah Procrastination
Posted On: September 18, 2012

I have forgotten what I wanted to write, why do we always do this dance?

Dirt Juice
Posted On: September 10, 2012

So today I made myself a new juicing recipe. I call myself a creature of habit; my boyfriend calls me a stubborn, OCD-maniac (isn’t he lucky that part of my morning routine is to make him breakfast?) but I digress. In anything, it is very uncommon that I try new options. If I am going to Chili’s it is ONLY because I like their steak, chicken tortilla soup, and molten chocolate lava cake. Today I decided to branch out of my comfort zone, and it is further proof of why I stick to what I know!

I have always considered myself to be a picky eater so please don’t judge me for having never eaten a beet in my life. I was a very willful child and my mom was tired of watching me gag on vegetables at the dinner table. Today I broke old habits and found a juicing recipe that has beets in it. My reasoning is simple enough; if I don’t like it, at least there will be other things I do like to mask the flavor a little! So WRONG!

I used a recipe that I found online (even though I have a car full of juicing books that my mom gave me this weekend) and added some extra apple and halved the amount of beets that it called for…how could it be bad?? Perhaps I’m just still a picky eater, or maybe used the wrong end of the beet (I used the red part and threw out the green leaves) but do they always taste like dirt? My once beloved juice drink just tastes like a mildly-carroty-dirt-juice. Did I get a bad beet? Are my taste buds broken? Am I doomed to force myself to drink dirt juice and forever hate the flavor? I’m curious to know.

Feeling Like a Ninja!
Posted On: September 9, 2012

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

About a month ago I started to get these nasty migraines out of nowhere. For four to six hours every evening I was laying in bed, whining mean things at my boyfriend just hoping to ride out the pain. I started carrying Excedrin in my purse all the time. Because it was so out of the blue, I was pretty nervous about what the cause was. I remembered that in the past, I had gotten migraines if I had ever skipped a meal but I was eating three square meals plus snacks so I was completely baffled.

I decided that despite my unchanged diet, that perhaps I was missing out on some nutrients in my diet. I had recently put on a lot of weight and was feeling worn down, lazy and sluggish. One thing led to another and I eventually convinced my boyfriend to find my old dusty juicer, which I might have used twice in the last eight years, and I looked up some juicing recipes online.

I have to preface this with: I am NOT a Dr. Oz fan! But the first juice recipe I tried was his Green Drink, which you can find the recipe to if you want to Google it (or Bing it, if you’re an Internet progressive). I have been drinking this thing several times a week whenever I feel like I need a pick-me-up and I feel SO good afterwards. It helps fight the brain numbing effects of studying for nursing school and gives me a little zing like a shot of coffee. Plus, I really like the taste (although my mom, boyfriend, and future-mother-in-law are not fans).

I can’t recommend this juicing thing enough! There are a ton of recipes available that I can’t wait to try (and tweak because I’m picky ).

I know I didn’t give the flavor of this drink a ringing endorsement from my family, but I really love it and I prefer it to soda and store bought fruit juice in flavor. So without further ado, here’s my appended Dr. Oz Green Drink recipe.

Nicki’s Dr. Oz Green Drink

• 1/2 head of celery
• 1 cucumber
• 2 large handfuls spinach
• 1/2 – 1″ ginger root (to taste)
• 1/2 bunch of parsley
• 2 cored apples
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 lime

Add all of the ingredients (please wash them first!) to a juicer (I use an old Jack Lalanne). Drink with a straw! If you find the flavor to be a little too “earthy” which is how my family referred to it, I suggest either adding more apples or adding less parsley to start. You’ll like the way it makes you feel!

Just a heads up to those of you who don’t normally get your regular dose of fiber, this will do it for you!

Since I’ve changed my diet to healthy eating in general, juicing is just one part of the changes I have made, I have lost 5 lbs. this month, my skin is clear, I have no more IBS, no more cramps (I used to take Codine and Vicodin for menstrual pain), I drink half the caffeine, feel well rested in the morning and can ALMOST fit back into my skinny jeans!!