2019 Bullet Journal Set Up

It's hard to believe we are already one week into 2019. Last Saturday, I looked at #leo husband and said that I couldn't belive that Monday was 2018. It felt like 2018 was three weeks ago, not 5 days ago. Man, that time dilation field gets me every dang time. #stargate #nerdqueen

So much has happened in one week. From taking all the decorations down, which after this meme by a friend, I felt totally cool with procrastinating...

...which was great because with all the family and friend fun I was totally behind on setting up my third bullet journal for 2019. Ticks me off though because last year, I was telling myself that I needed to start earlier next year, like the beginning to mid-December early. Well, that didn't effing happen. Ugh, best-laid plans of mice and men.

Well, with my niece's here I got to work on it because they love all things art. I've even tried convincing my oldest niece to try one. Showed her a couple of videos and she dug it. I love corrupting, bringing others over to the dark side, inspiring those around me to dig cool things that aren't mainstream.

Like Bullet Journals.


2019 Bullet Journal Set Up

This year I feel like I streamlined my collections to what worked and didn't work. It's an evolving process which I like. I'm also super stoaked about my brush lettering. Half of my setup was just having fun trying to come up with beautiful titles or unique ways to put the letters on the page.

What I kept the same:

My health/body tracker is mostly the same with the exception of I went to measurement only, instead of weight and measurement. That may change but I feel too many negative emotions are tied up by my scale. I want to see improvement in my tape measure, not the scale.

My Satan's Waterfall Log was super handy last year so I'm keeping it mostly the same but with a few new additions for symptom tracking.

My replacement tracker is exactly the same because I made it last year on a seperate page and never put it in my bujo.

Expenses, after tracking last year, I spend about $200-300 a month on myself. It seems like a lot but it is mostly medical related "perks" which I will talk about in a later post. I save what I don't spend and redeposit it at the end of the year into savings.

What's new:

I changed up the design for the year at a glance from a horizontal layout to a vertical one. I added the month view calendar above the item lists.

I have a Goal's page with my goal of consistency and kindness. I left blank spaces so I can add to the list as I become aware of the areas I need work on.

Vacation and Gifts have been narrowed down to one page instead of a two-page spread.

I cut movies because that was way too hard to keep up with, we watch a lot of movies, and increased my reading spread to two pages with 24 spaces because my goal is to read 24 books this year.

I have a perfect day "Daily Routine" which I haven't been able to reach yet, but I am building habits that will get me there. Although I will say part of the problem is my complete lack of a sleeping schedule from the holidays. Ugh.

I made a dedicated Whole 30 planning spread, and I'm hoping to do two Whole30's this year, I'd love to shoot for one each quarter but that ambitious goal is going to be a 2020 one.

I added a weekly tasks page because I tend to lose focus and do what's immediate and urgent that day. I really want to get into a good schedule because consistent daily routine reduces inflammation.

I have two blank pages left for anything that may come up later in the year that I feel is necessary to add.

2019 is going to be a great year. I've got a basic handle on my adhesive arachnoiditis. #leohusband isn't going to be in Europe for 8 months out of 12. We have big ideas and goals for us as a couple and can't wait to see them come to fruition.

Happy New Year my lovely readers!

5 Tips for Chronic Pain and The Whole30

As I mentioned last week, I'm kicking off 2019 with a January Whole30.

While I consider myself a Whole30 veteran, I still find new ways to make Whole30 more accessible, especially since my last three Whole30's have been post-Adhesive Arachnoiditis.

If you have never heard of the Whole30, it is a 30-day eating program with two goals. First is health, detoxing your body by eating healthy whole foods and meals. Second, teaching you how to cook healthy, make menu plans, and realize that cooking is not hard.

So I already know all this, my problem is that I know cooking isn't hard and that eating healthy definitely makes a huge difference in my pain levels. However, due to my limited mobility, I can't stand up longer than 15 - 20 minutes to food prep! I had a food prepping nightmare back in the fall that took me 3 weeks to recover from.

I had to get smart this time around.

5 Tips for Chronic Pain and The Whole30

1. Precut Veggies

Every grocery store has them. Cut up onions, celery, carrots, butternut squash, just to name a few. Yes, they are slightly more expensive but it is worth it if you are going to stay on track. Plus, it will enhance the desire to cook your own food if you are not doing massive amounts of chopping vegetables. My local grocery store even has pre-washed and chopped cilantro!

2. Frozen Veggies

I cannot praise frozen riced cauliflower enough. It is my best friend. Along with, frozen green beans, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Frozen veggies are my go-to for almost everything. They're inexpensive and easy to cook with. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, S&P, and Herbs de Provence...veggies are done!

3. Plan your Whole Month of Meals and the Grocery Lists to Match.

They really stress planning. In fact, all of the literature you read about the Whole30 emphasizes planning. Plan when you are going to do the Whole30, plan out your month of meals...in fact, plan for when you can plan. LOL!

I take mine a step further and also write out my grocery lists. This is because I want to
A. Maximize my time and not be wandering around a grocery store during a pain flare.
B. It also helps me keep track of what I bought when...exactly how old is this avocado?

With chronic pain and illness, the last thing you want is food poisoning. Our immune systems are already compromised, our guts are definitely leaky, let's not add to that.

4. Make a Pinterest Page Just for the Whole30 (or put post-its in your cookbooks with dates)

This year I took my planning to the next step and made an entire Pinterest page. All the recipes for my January Whole30 are there, maybe not in the exact order, but easy to access and get to when I'm ready to cook.

Not a Pinterest fan or maybe you have a snazzy Whole30 or Paleo cookbook you are going to use. Then grab some post its and write the days and dates down that you are cooking that meal and mark them in your book. I do this on a weekly basis after my meal planning.

5. WalMart has Whole30 Approved Frozen Meals Y'all!

Ok, so Melissa Hartwig has been super awesome in 2018 about making Whole30 accessible to more people and through a partnership with WalMart, they have created frozen dinners.

I have all 4 in my freezer as an emergency back up meal. I have not tried them yet, but let's be honest, if you are in a lot of pain and need to eat something immediately to take your medication, this is it! As soon as I try one, which will probably be next week, I'll get a review up.

For any and all things Whole30, check out the Whole 30 website and their many books!

Whole30 and Paleo Mexi'cauli Rice

I would love to say that I'm totally prepared for this January Whole30 but I'm not. This will be my 4th Whole30 since 2015. I do cook paleo on an 80% basis so I'm not completely caught with my pants down, still, I don't feel prepared.

Actually, the only thing I'm not really prepared for is breakfast and snacks. First I know what you are thinking...snacking is not on the Whole30.

I have stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue and I have to snack. It's part of my functional medicine doctor's program. Whole30 is about a healthier you so snacking at designated times is healthy and necessary for me. #youdoyou

Second, we had a lot of family and friend time during the holiday's and unfortunately, some of our guests departed 3 days early due to health issues. That left us with a fridge full of uncompliant Paleo and Whole30 food. I froze what I could, gave away to friends what I could, but I'm still left with a great deal of tempting food I can't eat.

So I did what any good Texas girl would do. I threw everything into a skillet and made Tex Mex.

Boom!

Whole30 and Paleo Mexi'cauli Rice

20oz (two bags of frozen cauliflower rice)
1 t of Cumin
1/2 - 1 t of Salt (to taste)
1/4 t Smoked Paprika
1 t of Minced Garlic
1 can of Rotel or Hatch Tomatoes and Chilies
1/4 c of Pace Picante or any salsa without Sweetener
Avocado Oil
Guacamole
Raw Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)

Make it!
Heat the oil in a deep skillet. When oil is hot but not smoking add the minced garlic. Sautee garlic until aromatic, about 1 - 2 min. Add the cauliflower. Break up any clusters with a spoon. Sprinkle on the cumin, smoked paprika, and salt. Stir well to combine and saute about 3-4 min to really let the spices meld with the cauliflower. Add in the Rotel and Pace. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently. Simmer about 2-4 minutes.

If you're vegan you may just stop there! Top it with guacamole and pepitas and you're done. Easy peasy.

We topped ours with my instant pot pork carnitas. Look for that recipe next week! Yum!

Honest Review Madison Reed Haircolor

Call it making my life easier, striving for simplicity, or sheer laziness, but I tried Madison Reed home delivery hair color. It was a rare treat yo self moment.

Actually, they are becoming not so rare these days. I will do and try anything if it means less pain and less drain on me. I'm really working on my severe adrenal fatigue in 2019 because I feel it is the next key to a better life with Adhesive Arachnoiditis.

Onward!

A. I’ve done salon color for years, starting one month before I turned 31 when my grays were just more apparent. I could afford it, I had a job and a killer budget that let me save, pay rent, pay for grad school, and let me do “personal upkeep.”

B. When we were starting to save for IVF #leohusband took over my hair dying job with box dye. It was ok but not really the same level of a color match that I would get in the salon. I also tended to develop toward the red end of the spectrum of brunette each time. Plus, I had some nasty allergic reactions to some of the “drug store” hair color.

C. I eventually turned to Sally Beauty Supply and after talking with a guy who had the coolest blue and teal hair I could only dream about...I felt he steered me in the right direction.

He did!

I had a great color, the right developer, an additive to keep the red/gold out of my brunette, and another additive to tame those stubborn grays. The only problem was the nearest Sally’s was either a 30 minute drive with a billion traffic lights (not in sync) in one direction or a (gasp) trip to the mall in the other.

If you’re like me, I’d rather walk across broken wine glasses filled with rusty razor blades than go to an actual mall. It's a chronic pain patient's nightmare.

I went maybe once or twice a year to Sally's. It was definitely not enough to actually keep up the color on a consistent basis. Leaving me with several months where I just didn’t feel I was looking my best. #leohusband would totally argue this point but ya feel how ya feel, right ladies? gents? peeps?

So there I was, feeling upset from the giant scar on my forehead from my basal cell cancer removal, staring at my face, definitely noticing my gray hair...and in a moment of weakness I got bombarded with a Madison Reed commercial on Hulu.

I caved.

Honest Review Madison Reed Haircolor

I took their online color quiz and ended up with Modena Brown 5.5NNN.

It came and of course, the packaging was cool as hell.

They had a bottle, 2 sets of gloves, a cap, color and developer, shampoo and conditioner, a pre-skin prep, and an after coloring skin wipe.

I signed up for the 8-week delivery cycle, so I got a large sized color safe shampoo and conditioner 'as a gift.' Plus, you get a slight discount. Which means the hardest thing I have to do is check my mailbox to get it.

The application process:

Skin protectant cream applied great, nice to not use Aquafor like I normally do.

Doing the coloring:

Ok, so I would like to point out that I personally don't think doing your own color is all that hard. Then again I have multiple degrees in art, taught art for over 10 years, and have a slight OCD tendency to be a perfectionist when it comes to anything.

Therefore coloring my own hair (no #leohusband needed) is not an issue. I just take my time and make precise parts to apply the color. I also use my hands, encased in the nice gloves they supply and make sure my roots to ends get coated finger-paint style.

They include videos, a call line, which I did use, an app, and a website for help and reference. Strangely enough, my question was not answered on the videos, app, or website so I had to call.

What was my question?

Well, the instructions say to put the product on your hair length first, wait 20 mins, and then put it on your roots. Apply the cap and wait an additional 30 or so minutes.

Well folks, I've got a pixie cut.

I do not have "length."

So I had no idea what amount of time I was supposed to keep the product on and if I needed to be super anal retentive and truly get it on just my ends somehow and then do the roots.

Hence the phone call.

I will say I did pass the 5-minute hold mark (which is my internal 'I've been on hold too long' timer) on the phone. I grabbed my laptop and started typing a question into the live chat on their website when my call finally got picked up. Did I mention I'm also not the world's most patient person?

The CS rep was kind and courteous, answered my question, but definitely kept me on the phone longer than I would have liked. She kept repeating the same instructions/conversation three times. I don't know if this is corporate policy but I'm on the other end of the phone thinking, "Dude, I got it the first time."

She also kept using the phrase 'short-haired sisters' and 'long-haired sisters'...which I know is definitely a corporate decision on language but geez y'all, it's so hipster millennial.

via GIPHY

Anyway, I used the supplied bottle, parted, squeezed, and fingerpainted my way to better hair. Snapped the cap on my head, set a 55-minute timer (time CS rep and I agreed upon) and sat my happy butt down to watch some Stranger Things.

When the timer dinged I jumped in the shower to rinse and then used the supplied packets of shampoo and conditioner. I will say the shampoo and conditioner did feel awesome. It was how Herbal Essences should have felt. If you're thinking "I'll have what she's having..." Yes...it was just like that. You should honestly try this for the shampoo and conditioner alone.

So results...

It did look really good. It was not leaning toward golden or red but was a perfect brown. Glossy and definitely had highlights and lowlights that you just can't get from a box. I know, I've tried.

So am I sold...maybe. Sally's Beauty Supply is $7.00 cheaper but avoiding the hassle of getting across town and through traffic (not great during a pain flare), getting my shipment when I need it (it's not that I'm lazy...it's adrenal fatigue I swear!) is worth the extra $7.00. It totally beats paying $50 and up at the salon any day o the week. I'm calling this one a good buy.

I did not get paid to write this. It is an honest review based upon my experience. I used my own funds to purchase Madison Reed. However, if you are Madison Reed and want to contact me and become besties, just let me know.

2019 Word of the Year

Well, it’s a bright sunny morning here on the other side of New Year’s Eve, now 2019!

Today I’m starting many things:

A January Whole30

Writing a Book on Recovery/Health from a Humorous Standpoint

Starting a Podcast with one of my Health Guru P.I.C.'s

Learning to Love my Life No Matter What

Doing Art Again

Being on a Schedule, Being...Consistent

My word of the year...Consistency
Inspired by one of my awesome sister in laws. She holds consistent to her health goals no matter where she is or what day it is. I saw her workout our entire beach vacation and stay on her diet no matter what.

You should totally check out her instagram and podcast. @roomforbothpodcast @mm_mayo

I realized during that vacation that I need to be like that. I need to stay on my diet on vacation, on celebrations, etc. I need to do yoga every damn day...even if I'm depressed #leohusband is halfway around the world and my shoulder, or back, or knee (insert nerve pain affecting a particular part of my body here) is killing me.

Part of consistency is honoring where I am that day. If I'm tired or exhausted, then I'm doing restorative yoga that day. If my shoulder is hurting then maybe I'm going to avoid down dog or plank. Either way...consistent.

The first page set up in my 2019 bujo is down! I’m also keeping a consistency vision board upstairs in my studio and I have Post Its freaking everywhere with the word on them. This also lets me practice my new obsession - hand lettering.

I'm seriously obsessed Y'all but we will talk about that later!

I don’t want to F this up so I’m enlisting #leohusband to remind me if I make poor choices (which means I’m totally going to get cranky with him when he reminds me to be consistent). LOL!

via GIPHY

I’ve got so many appointments already on the schedule for January that need a home...plus I’m super excited to try out my new hand lettering skillz.

Tomorrow, I'm getting a plastic surgeon to look at the sutures that are breaking through my skin on my forehead. I think I'm going to take a long break from anything medically invasive in 2019. I'll just add that to my list...

However, it gives me a chance to put into practice my new schedule. I'm kicking back off with a round of The Miracle Morning so I should, in all honesty, be ready to go at 9:30 to get to my appointment.

If you don't know what the miracle morning is, check out this post here.

Why Was 2018 So Damn Hard?!?

The last five years of my life has been rough y'all.

Seriously, the last time I felt happy and carefree for extended periods of time was 2012. I know what you're thinking...surely it can't be that bad and I'm exaggerating...

Well, it's not that I haven't been happy in the last five years...it's that it's short-lived and usually only occurs during celebrations, good life events, and vacations.

The moment family leaves or the holiday or birthday (not necessarily mine 'cause I love all things birthday related for friends and family alike) is over and I have to go back to my normal life...I'm just let down. Ugh, I don't want to live my life it sucks...oh yeah...probably why my psychologist told me to say, "I love my life," every morning.

Why Was 2018 So Damn Hard?!?

I got really dang close to almost a full year of happiness when Tiger, #fluffyalarmclock, came into the picture.

From August 2017 to March 2018, I had this incredible ecstatic happiness from loving and being loved by my dog, my husband, and my family. I would stop in the middle of doing something and just think about how happy I was and that I couldn't believe it after all the pain and suffering I had been through.

I was improving my health on a larger and more specific scale from my April 2017 diagnosis of Adhesive Arachnoiditis. I started my blog and was being consistent with my content. I was also enjoying the heck out of the therapy of writing down what I've experienced.

Well, all that went to pot in March.

Tiger had surgery to remove tumors Mid-March. That got botched...they removed the wrong spot. He had to recover before they could remove the actual cancerous tumor.

By the time April rolled around, we squeezed in a quick surgery before #leohusband began traveling to Europe on a very consistent basis until the first week of December. I'd say he was in Europe 50-60% of the year.

I saw him for 4 days total in June.

Not even kidding.

It was not fun.

In the meantime, I f'ed up my left rotator cuff in yoga the second to last week in April. It has finally calmed down (I'm not going to say healed because it isn't) but it's January 1st, 2019 tomorrow and if I'm not extremely careful, I can trigger the pain cycle in my shoulder so, so easily.

Tiger's health began failing in June. He collapsed on a walk. I worked with him to lose weight and we kept him inside during the ultra hot Texas summer.

In August, he collapsed again but this time with Old Dog Vestibular Disease. Basically, it's vertigo but dogs just don't know how to deal with it that well, not that humans do a great job either. We left him with our vet who gave us a 50/50 shot...he'll either recover or not.

Thankfully, he did.

Mike was constantly in Europe. I held the fort down but didn't do a great job at keeping the fort running.

I eventually did what was easy instead of what was good. Old habits came back into my daily activities, like binge-watching TV to avoid actually thinking about my miserable situation. I didn't like cooking dinner for just me, so I stopped cooking dinner entirely. Even when #leohusband came home from time to time, I just didn't have the energy to cook nor the desire to.

Several relatives on mother's side of the family started having very serious medical problems, so I spent time worrying about my mom, my aunt, both my uncles and my cousins.

I'm really just too sensitive. I can feel the pain others go through in my very soul. I basically checked out at the beginning of October. I was alone. I constantly worried someone in my family or Tiger was going to die. I was in pain. My husband wasn't there and I was miserable.

So I got help. My #runeveryday bff and I had a heart to heart and we agreed we both needed to find someone professional to talk to and to check in with each other.

I sort of like my psychologist, she is very mystical, which at times I rile against. Overall, she has brought several things to my attention that I appreciate. She also gives great book recommendations.

She also helped me with Tiger's death.

We got another 3 months with him until he got an infection his elderly immune system just couldn't fight. Tiger died the day after Thanksgiving and #leohusband got on a plane the very next day to go back to Europe.

Ugh.

Man, have to be honest, I'm totally tearing up right now. It was hard. H-A-R-D.

My mom came and stayed with me for a bit while things were still super raw but it was just a band-aid covering a bullet hole so I eventually thanked her and sent her home so I could actually deal with his death.

Just so you know, I'm still not quite over it. It lurks in the back of my mind and decides to slap me in the face when I least expect it.

During Tiger's passing I was also trying to recover from a skin cancer surgery that got infected (probably with whatever Tiger was fighting) and now...my sutures that were supposed to dissolve underneath my skin are being rejected by my body.

That's right. You can see them popping out of the scar and coming through the skin on my forehead. I'd also like to mention that I'm now apparently allergic to Scar Away by finding out the hard way.

Two weeks into December #leohusband wrapped up his business in Europe (thankfully) and his family came to visit. We had a nice memorial for Tiger since he was given to me by my in-laws. For the rest of the week, I watched them bowl, play laser tag. I played board and card games with them and it was fun...even though I could barely walk two days.

Once my pain flare ended I was able to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I think #leohusband felt guilty (?) for being gone so much this year because he spoiled me rotten. I got an Xbox One, assorted gaming gear, and several books from the Throne of Glass series.

We spent the week having fun with some of our couple bff's and prepared for the next wave of family. They came in early due to their own family tragedy but left just as quick due to my niece getting sick. I loved having them here even if it was only for a night.

So here I am, one day before 2019, reflecting on all the shit stuff I want to get done before 2019. I definitely feel a day late and a dollar short.

However, I've got my to-do list down in my bujo and I'm checking things off as I go. I will get my list done.

I'm ready for 2019. I'm ready to love my life. I'm ready for happiness. I'm ready to fulfill the role I was meant to play in this lifetime. More on that tomorrow...

How to Survive a Dog's Death

It's incredible how a loveable furry four-legged friend can become an indispensable part of your life.

From waking up in the morning, following you around all day, conversations while cooking (on my part at least), to falling asleep at night...when they're gone you don't really realize how much you interacted until that constant leaves.

The first week was raw, in the sense that I simply could not talk about it or think about it without a giant hole tearing up my insides. I think that is a decent way to describe it. I threw myself into finishing the KonMari of my upstairs with help from the best parents in the world.

Unfortunately, the day after My Fluffy Alarm clock died, #leohusband got on a plane to finalize his overseas project. Getting through the week without my best friend was hard to put it mildly.

How to Survive a Dog's Death

I rearranged furniture. I hung new artwork. I donated office supplies. I cleaned out books. I evaluated what I actually wanted to devote my time to.

Then I ran out of steam. Honestly, I don't know how people do these KonMari marathons of cleaning. I think my emotions get the best of me holding everything and seeing 'if it sparks joy." Man, that's tiring ya'll.

I was already tired and stressed from Tiger's death, oh and my basal cell skin cancer surgery, and then it got infected...

Did I mention I was in the ER the night before Thanksgiving and Tiger died the day after Thanksgiving?

Worst Thanksgiving Ever!

This beats when I got my tonsils out when I was 21 on Thanksgiving. I thought that one was bad. Whew! That's life for you.

It's been 10 days and I only get the occasional pang when I expect him to be there. Take yesterday, I was making my Paleo Mac n Cheese and I literally said "Ooh Mommy's going to make her favorite quick meal" and then realized that he wasn't there. Sigh. I teared up and had a moment but then went back to my cooking.

I will say I did have to take a day a week later and really absorb his loss and what that meant. I allowed myself to feel the sadness. It was exactly one week after his death and it wasn't quite so raw. I was coming out of the numbness. The distractions needed to be set aside so I could focus on the grief in order to let it pass.

I know in the days, weeks, and months to come I will get moments of surprise sadness, and I will acknoweldge them, feel them, and then let them go. While I know it's ok to be sad, it's not ok to stay sad.

I am hopful we will meet again because where ever Tiger is, I want to be there too.

KonMari for Chronic Pain Sufferers Part 2

I’ve mentioned before that #leohusband and I have ‘completed’ a KonMari of our house. Well, by completed we cleaned out the kitchen and didn’t get rid of nearly the amount of stuff I wanted to. I did an excellent job of cleaning out my closet. However, the upstairs and the attic simply never got touched.

For a couple of reasons, we had to go slow because of my pain levels and the holidays were upon us. So we just did not get to the level of minimalism I desired in my life.

Well, as soon as we came back from Hawaii... I started on the upstairs. I deconstructed all the closets. Put my crap everywhere so I could just sort through it. When it came time for my housekeeper to clean, I just told her to skip the upstairs rooms that were crazy messy.

She has had to do that twice so far. However, I have learned to live with it because I am simply tired of shoving my excess crap into the closets of our guest rooms.

To make a long story short...(too late) I’m in the final stages of sorting through all of my art and crafting items. I’m setting up stations to get the most of my hobbies and work. In true KonMari style, if I want to do it or use it...it needs to be actually accessible.

I’m so psyched to get everything done before #leohusband gets home. So far it looks pretty scary...

Paleo Pear Cobbler

Everyone loves peach cobbler right?

Well, that's a great summertime treat, but why should fall fruits be overlooked?

I love pears and I feel like a kid at Christmas when they come into season. This year I wanted to have a simple Paleo dessert for Thanksgiving since I was attempting my first turkey (and it turned out really good). I thought about cobbler but peach season has come and gone...so that led me to think about pears.

Best idea I've had in a long time.

I modified our family peach cobbler recipe to Paleo and then subbed in pears for the peaches.

It was so delicious and easy. As a chronic pain warrior, the hardest part was chopping the pears, and that didn't take nearly as long as other recipes I bake.

Plus, I finally got to use Cassava flour as a 1:1 switch for All Purpose Flour and it worked!

Paleo Pear Cobbler
Ingredients:
7 - 8 Fresh Pears (any choice but if you use Bartlett, make sure they are firm and not soft)
1 1/4 cups Coconut Sugar (divided)
1 stick grass fed butter
3/4 cup Cassava Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond/coconut milk blend (So Delicious, Nutpods, or BetterHalf)
1 large organic free range egg

Supplies:
4 bowl mixing set: small, medium, medium-large, large
Cutting Board
Knife
13 x 9 baking dish
Whisk

Make It!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter stick in a 13x9 baking dish and place in the oven while it is preheating.

Do yourself a favor and get a small mixing bowl for "trash" to put the pear cores in. This will make your prep work super fast and keep your cutting board clear since you have a lot of pears to chop.

Get a second medium to large bowl, to drop in the pear chunks you are baking with.

Wash the pears and cut into quarters. Remove the stem and seeds (drop into trash bowl as you go). Chop each quarter into 2-inch chunks. Drop into your large bowl. Toss with 1/2 cup of the coconut sugar.

Remove the baking dish from the oven. The butter should be completely melted by now and you don't want it to burn.

Whisk all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl together including the remaining 3/4 cup of coconut sugar.

In your last remaining small bowl, whisk the egg and the nut milk together. I decided to try this new milk from Thrive Market and it was perfect.

Slowly add the wet into the dry and stir together. Pour batter over the melted butter in the baking dish and then spoon the pears on top. Do not mix. The batter will rise up in between the pear mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until the crust is firm and not soggy. The sides should be bubbly.

Enjoy!

#leohusband who isn't paleo like me enjoyed his with a scoop of Bluebell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. However, he had it for breakfast this morning and loved it plain too!

I also had it for breakfast today because even though the Thanksgiving food was great, seeing family was awesome, Friendsgiving was superb, it really was the absolute worst Thanksgiving in my life, but more on that later...

Roasted Pears and Red Onions with Rosemary

This gorgeous fall dish also tastes amazing. It seems like the flavors would clash but the salty brine of the olives goes so well with the sweetness of the pears.

Ingredients:

2 Asian pears

1 large red onion

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary 

3 T olive oil

Large handful of Kalamata olives

4 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley

Equipment:

Large bowl

Chefs knife
Cutting board
Aluminum foil lined large baking sheet
Oven

Roasted Pears and Red Onions with Rosemary

Make it:

Preheat your oven to 425°

Wash all produce.

Cut the pears in half then in quarters. Cut each quarter in half. From the haves, cut three slices (this should be approximately 1/4 inch slices). Place in bowl. 

Peel the onion. Cut the onion into 1/4 inch rings. Place in bowl. 

Strip the rosemary from the stems and place in the bowl with the pears and onions. 

Drizzle the olive oil over the pears, onions, and rosemary. Toss. Spread out evenly on the baking sheet. 

Roast for 20-25 minuets. 

While everything is roasting, strip the parsley from the stems and coarsely chop it with the Kalamata olives. 

When the roasting is finished, dump the roasted pears and onions back into the bowl. Top with the parsley and olive garnish. Serve immediately. Salt and pepper to taste. 

How to Fly with Chronic Pain

This crazy girl decided to finally go on a long vacation with #leohusband.

Well, the vacation needed to be taken for several reasons. One #leohusband has been working himself to the bone and traveling all over the world. While that may sound very exciting, he spends most of his time on planes, in airports, and hotels.

If you had a conversation with him about it, he would tell you that he's working the entire time so sight-seeing is out of the question. He'd rather sleep in his own bed and have a home cooked meal from me.

So he needs a vacation.

Two, I need a vacation from my job of fighting my disease all the time.

However, the problem is I haven't traveled more than a 3 hour flight or a 5 hour car ride (with extensive breaks so I can walk, stretch, and rest) in my awesome air-conditioned super comfy car seat.

So where to go, not break the bank, or break me in the process.

We settled on Hawaii after seriously kicking around the idea of Venice, Italy.

How to Fly with Chronic Pain
So now I'm sitting on the plane, in Economy Plus thanks to #leohusbands fight miles, five hours into the flight, three hours to go, and I'm not dying.

I'm uncomfortable for sure. What all do I have with me? My bear pad and pillow for the seat. You can see #leohusband carrying both in the above picture. I've got my back brace on underneath all my clothes so it's definitely chaffing my skin. My old-fashioned ice bag is currently under my left hip and I'm probably going to switch it to my right in a few more minutes.

I'm getting up every single hour and walking around, taking the long way to the bathroom. I'm drinking as much water as I possibly can because staying hydrated is key to my success in this adventure.

I took my prescribed pain medication about 2 hours into the flight, right when I started getting above a 5 and luckily I've stayed at a 6.

I stretched for a few minutes by the bathrooms at the halfway mark.

I've also got my tens unit, although getting that on in the tiny airplane bathroom doesn't sound appealing. If I hit a 7, then we're about to try that out.

Lastly, I have a compounded topical pain relieving medication that my pain management doctor gave me to survive all the physical demands that this trip will do to my body.

I will have to write a separate post on the experience of getting this medication filled...because getting that medication required jumping through flaming hoops, in the middle of a lightning storm, on a dry field, in the middle of summer, covered with gasoline.

In other words, it was really difficult, but I got it, and we booked our flight, our Air B&B's, and our rental cars. I contacted my #sororitylil who lives in Maui, the lucky girl, and told her we were coming.

I'm doing it. I'm actually doing it.

What I really think I want to communicate with other chronic pain sufferers today is this, I spend every damn day of my life trying to survive. I never really feel like I'm thriving. I wake up and I fight my disease and it's exhausting. I have felt that my life stopped, or on sad days, ended, when I got Adhesive Arachnoiditis.

That's why this trip is important. If I don't make the effort to keep living my life and doing the things I've always wanted to do, then my life really did end April 14, 2016.

So I'm scared, and I'm probably going to have pain, and have bad days, but Hawaii is a place I've wanted to see and experience with #leohusband and I'm not going to let this chance pass me by.

I hope that this is the beginning of a new chapter where I still can dream big and see those dreams come true.

Except for Japan, definitely can't travel there with their super strict medication laws...sigh.