Asparagus (a post by Katie Bills)

Today, Beth went to the thrift store. This was the shirt she came home with. Why, you ask? Well, earlier this week, she had her first run-in with asparagus, the most yummy grass you can eat (and no, I've never had the other kind of grass, so there is no comparison here...) Anyway, I started to divulge my usual litany of random information. I, personally, love asparagus (but have a really hard time spelling it...it's a good thing Beth is right here and I can glance at her shirt as I type) and was surprised that Beth had never had the aspergrass (that's how we say in my fam) experience. It's up there as one of the deciding factors when I am choosing things from the menu at a restaurant, right next to avocado (my personal kryptonite) and salmon (I can never cook it on my own so it actually tastes good, so I would rather have someone else do that for me). But I digress from my random piece of information that I shared with Beth. Did you know (a phrase I was famous for as a child) that asparagus makes your pee stink? Well, not necessarily your pee, but my pee definitely. Here's a tidbit from the annals of science (or at least MSNBC):

"WHY DOES YOUR PEE SMELL WHEN YOU EAT ASPARAGUS?"
Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It is also found in onions, garlic, rotten eggs, and in the secretions of skunks. The signature smell occurs when this substance is broken down in your digestive system. Not all people have the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan, so some of you can eat all the asparagus you want without stinking up the place. One study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that only 46 percent of British people tested produced the odor while 100 percent of French people tested did. Insert your favorite French joke here________________________________.

I wanted to find out more, and there is a contradicting theory here.

Moral of the story: I am one of the 46%. Beth is not. At least she thinks she isn't, but then again, she also is drinking gallons of water a day with this new diet, so she provides a very diluted sample. SO, you can kiss her as...paragus.

Memorial Day fun....

I went to hang out with the whole family today at my sisters house. A few things to sum up the first portion of the day would be....corn hole. Fire pit breakfast. 3lbs of Bacon. Graduation celebration with at least ten of jordan and justins friends that camped the night before. Sunbathing...aka making my farmers tan worse... Petty Kitty cats with the girls. Karaoke with anthony and the boys...itq happens with show choir kids. Football 500 with the nephews. Grilling. 2 hr Long Car ride.Tina taking Pictures. Me taking Pictures. Kaylee taking pictures. AND now im headed back to dayton for another bbq that i wont b eating at....but we are going to play poker with candy. should b a good time with everyone fron church....haha poker with church friends. seems wrong. i know. but....thats how we roll...maxbe ill post again later today when im at my other party today.

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quick thoughts....

Lost my micro SD card reader= :( sad

got a new phone with a better camera= :) happy

never get enough sleep= :( sad

went for my 2nd appointment with my nutritionist= :) happy
(things are going good...no details now...but its been a month)

freak out on a regular basis in private= :( sad

have been going on walking dates with a friend= :) happy
(sheesh reilly...this is getting serious huh?)

my little brother is graduating from High School= :( sad
(because thats another mark of how much time has gone by)

going to AZ to for the 10 yr reunion of show low high school....which is kind of funny and hard to explain to people because..well I didnt REALLY graduate from there = :) happy
(super looking forward to the long weekend thurs night thru sunday 11th -15th)

cant seem to keep my hands soft enough from cracking= :( sad

i have amazing friends too numerous to mention. blessed, not bragging. love them all dearly!!! = :) happy

old roommate cathie came to visit for a couple days ... gone already= :( sad

when i think really hard.....the happy things seems to come more readily than the sad....life really is good among having stress.... = :) happy

time to go get back to the things of life....bills, cleaning, working, laundry... not napping= :( sad

last thought~~~~~ :) going to get a new purse soon= :) happy

Brace yourself!

Gabs is the one in the red hat and lils is sunglasses girl. Sorry im so loud. They sure know what they both want....but lils was ready 4 the camera and gabs wasnt. She needed the pirate costume on first. Hahaha love these girls i get to babysit. Thanks 4 creating such wonderful entertainment jeff and sarah. Ur twins are hilarious. Haha and maddie is just super cuddly tonight.

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I'm alive

I haven't updated in what seems like a long time. I think its just because I have been really busy. I feel like I shouldn't be as busy as I am , but then I start talking about what i've been doing and it kind of makes sense.
Me recently= started working full time at a medical billing place. AND. I have been babysitting for my friends 3 kids on tues. and thurs. nights for a couple of hours while her husband is at school. The girls are so much fun to be around. Really happy great kids. LOVE THEM. So that has been a blessing to be able to help them out with that. THEN... I guess what has been taking the most time is that recently I have started to change my eating habits. I've started a personalized plan to try and be a healthier person and its been treating me well. I hate saying I'm on a diet, but I am. Whatever, and I guess its good people know. I get less crap about not eating out if i just say, oh I'm on a meal plan. I eat six times a day and I'm trying to do better at working out. I only eat small meals. Don't worry. I basically have to weigh my food out in grams every morning or evening. Its easier at one time of day rather than each time I eat. So I have to pack a few meals at work. AND make sure I pack my water bottles and make sure I get my sea salt. AND make sure I have my funnel to pour my shake powder (whole foods for 6 meals can be overwhelming so a couple are a protein shake)...well there are lots more details...but I wont bore you.(whoever YOU are that read my blog) I will just say I have been doing it almost 2 weeks now and the scale says I'm down 5.5 and body fat % is down 2 ....so I can't really complain. The only cheat meal I had the whole two weeks made me ill. So hey, i guess thats a good thing. My body really does like good for me food. Its amazing what God has given us in the way of a physical body. Its an awesome creation. Trying to figure out how to work it can be a challenge. I've decided to take the challenge and do my best to be in better working order so that I can do more than I am now. I'm a happy person , but all the learning I've done over the years I have really come to know that my spirit and my body are connected. They function better when they are both in tune. This is my attempt at starting to reprogram myself and do a better job with this Temple that I've been given. I want to be happier and healthier and so far I'm on a good start. Things that are hard take time though. Its a gradual change...but its been a long time in the making and its finally time I started. Can't wait to continue to make hard but needed changes in my life physically and spiritually. Hopefully this will give me a better grasp on my time management as well.
that's all for now.
I'm out!
~B

ps...i'm working with stephaney at www.nattynutrition.com dont worry...i'm not trying to be a competing body builder, I dont think I'll ever look like these guys...LOVE THEM though...they are great!