5th Year

So I'm a little late but I wanted to document that Jay and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on September 19th. Sometimes 5 years seems like a long time and sometimes it seems like nothing. Guess you have to start somewhere! 

I think that the person you choose to marry is without a doubt the most important (non spiritual) decision you ever make in your life. It sets the stage for the rest of your life. I chose well. Jay is my everything and I love him more every year. What an amazing thing to be able to say. 

We had a hot date at Double Nickel and thought about seeing a movie but decided to go home and hang with pups instead. 

See...I told you it was a hot date. 

Here are few more pictures from September. 

Be still my heart. How is he so big?

This guy is precious and SOOO noisy. All he does is babble and squeal!

I completed my picture wall. Finally. 

Jay and I are still rocking football season even though Tech is worse than I can ever remember. 

This little gal is still my pride and joy. 

Her brother is pretty cute too. 

And who can compete with this love?

Dark nails are back and I'm not upset. 

And finally...I took this girl to the vet today. We had a good time...sun roof open, fall breeze, everything was great until she tried to kill the resident cat at the vet's office and drug me down the hall behind her. Not cool weim. 

That's all folks. 

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I've Been Busy

Wow! Can't believe that I haven't posted since July. I'm shocked that it's been that long but as I said...I've been busy! I've been busy trying to get healthy and it's like a second full time job. I haven't told this story on here really, but I would like to have it documented so I'll try to give a good summary. 

In January, while I was in Vegas for work I experienced a terrible head rush followed by confusion, difficulty speaking, and an overall 'off' feeling. This happened multiple times on the trip and continued when I returned home. Over the next couple of months, I went to several doctors and no one could figure out what was wrong. They checked my brain, heart, circulatory, thyroid, etc. Everything looked fine and they chocked it up to stress and offered me a prescription. I was infuriated by this typical traditional medical approach and started looking for alternatives. 

I started by cleaning up my diet and went on a juice cleanse. After three weeks I was feeling better but didn't follow the rules for reintroducing the foods that I had eliminated. I started feeling bad again but didn't know what foods were making me feel bad. In April I heard about a doctor in Lubbock that was a medical doctor that practices functional medicine who was shaking up the traditional medical approach by relying on detailed case history, comprehensive blood work and lifestyle modifications to diagnose and manage chronic health issues rather just prescribing a lot of medication. I was desperate so I made an appointment. I'm so thankful that I did!! 

After 2 hours of case history and a slew of blood tests it was determined that I have two (yes 2) autoimmune conditions--Celiac disease and Hashimotos Thyroiditis. What?!? I'm only 30 years old (29 at the time). And...Wait...I thought my thyroid was fine according to all the other doctors?! Turns out that I was only being screened for thyroid issues and celiac was never even considered. They think that I may have had celiac for 8+ years and that it caused my leg to lose sensation 3 years ago. Celiac (autoimmune response to gluten) has damaged my intestines severely and this has led to deficiencies in many vitamins and minerals in my body. It has also caused mini holes in my intestines and things that should be contained in my intestines are able to leak out into my body triggering an additional autoimmune crisis impacting my thyroid. Along with the thyroid issues, I also have low stomach acid production, severe adrenal fatigue and a systemic candida overgrowth which impacts my blood sugar and my hormones. When I think back over the years, I realize how much sense this all makes and I'm saddened that I allowed myself to live a lifestyle that triggered what was already in my generic makeup . So what now? Well that's a good question because there is no magic bullet. The only cure (and there is a cure) is to heal my body by removing the triggers and replacing the things that I'm missing. I have to heal my intestines from the inside out and as I'm able to do that then my other issues and symptoms should improve too. My doctor says that it can take 6 months to 4 years depending on the amount of damage and the committment. I've been at it for 5 months. 

Here's what I'm doing--I've been gluten and grain free since April. This is a BIG help to me. In July after some additional testing to determine foods that caused additional autoimmune responses I became gluten/grain/dairy/tree nuts/egg/refined sugar FREE and started taking a TON of supplements. I don't cheat because this isn't something silly like weight loss. This is my health and this is my ticket back to healthy. The diet modifications have helped but I hit some what of a plateau in June. I haven't worsened though. I'm also fighting the systemic candida overgrowth with antifungals since my intestines are still allowing bad stuff (yeast and bad bacteria) into my blood stream. I've tried things that made me feel worse and I've tried things that have helped tremendously. I work really hard to deal with stress in a healthy way and to get plenty of sleep. I'm doing acupuncture and colonics. I practice Pilates three times a week and hot yoga twice. I'm better but I'm far from healed. Sometimes I get really frustrated with being sick and having to be so strict with my diet but then I remember how lucky I am to have control. I have the control to change this course and that's empowering. 

Enough of that for now but I'll do a better job of documenting my steps. It's definitely a journey and I will look back and see what I've accomplished. 

Stella helps me get my makeup on in the mornings. This. Never. Gets. Old. 

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My Dad and the Microwave

My dad is the self-appointed microwave timer setter authority. If you don't know what that means...it means that my entire life my dad has made very strong suggestions for how long food items need to be microwaved...down to the second. He gets pleasure from it and never misses giving his microwave timer recommendation if he's in the kitchen during a microwaving event. Not to mention, he's pretty good at it too. It goes something like this-- "Mashed potatoes? 47 seconds." "Cheese tortilla? 18 seconds." "Banana nut bread? 8 seconds." You get the picture. 

Well I love this about him and unbeknownst to me, I had really missed it. No one at my house (Jay or the dogs) ever suggest the perfect microwave cook time based on food type. So tonight I had my dad over for dinner because my mom is out of town. I'm not the best cook but I'm even worse at timing the different dishes to be ready at the same time. I made a roast, potatoes and asparagus but the potatoes got cold while the asparagus was in the oven. I headed to the microwave with the potatoes and without missing a beat he said, "Potatoes? 30 seconds." It warned my heart. Thanks for reminding me of your super power, dad! 

After dinner I made my dad and I a gluten free, dairy free, peach crumble. It was delish!

I turned 30 on Saturday. I had big plans for an "I'm 30" birthday post but then I had a run in with some gluten on Friday night while eating at the Country Club's 4th of July party. I had a gluten hangover on Friday night and most of Saturday but pulled myself together in time for dinner with my family on Saturday night. Here are a few pictures of the 4th of July and my birthday. Enjoy!

Breezy!

Love him! 

Lottie is a doll. 

He loves me back. 

Birthday dinner at the Brazilian Steakhouse. 

And I would be sad if I didn't document that last week Jay gave me a pretty awesome birthday surprise. About a month ago, I had to take my wedding rings in to be resized. They said it would take about a month because they needed to send them to NY. Well long story short, the week before my birthday Jay came home and said that he had decided to give me my gift early. He tossed a box at me and when I unwrapped it...my engagement ring and wedding band were in there...except with a much larger center stone in my engagement ring!! Surprise diamond upgrade!! Woohoo!! I couldn't possibly deserve it but you won't hear an argument from me. :)

Oh and I got a ridiculously huge edible arrangement at work. 

That's a lot of fruit!!

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Thunder

Just laying in bed listening to thunder and thinking about the prospect of rain. Thinking about how amazing it's been to get all of this rain lately and giving myself all the credit for asking for rain boots for Christmas! 

My dad said, "What are you going to do with red irrigation boots? Start working at the farm?" I replied, "I need rain boots because it's going to be a wet spring and summer! You've gotta have faith!" Everyone can thank me later. 

These two are really something. 

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Hot Yoga

Yes, it was Monday. Yes, it was 5:11am when I woke up. Yes, I needed to leave the house at 5:15am. Yes, I slept in my clothes which helped me get out the door. And YES, I'm really glad that I made it to class! Oh and yes, I finally got to use the nice lululemon mat that I bought last summer. 

All in all, hot yoga felt amazing and was a great start to my day. I think I'll go again on Friday. 

My getting ready buddy. She's not amused. 

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Father's Day Fun

We went to Brownfield to celebrate Father's Day today. We did the usual church then lunch thing and I have to say that I'm so thankful for the 'usual'. Jay and I got a reminder on Friday that life can change in an instant and that the 'usual' isn't guaranteed. It sounds cliche but I'm thankful to be looking at this holiday through a renewed set of lenses. Church was great and lunch and company was even better! My mom made ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, salad, homemade rolls and homemade banana pudding. I wasn't able to partake in the tastiest parts of the meal but thankfully that's getting easier. 

Owen is FINALLY getting better!! His last allergy tests showed that he's severely allergic to eggs, not dairy. It's a little frustrating to have been on the wrong track for several months but we're so happy to see his hair coming back and his skin softening again! He sooo happy too!! He's definitely feeling like his old self. 

We ate, opened a few gifts and then Kay made us leave to be home in time to watch Tech in the College World Series. Sadly, we lost to TCU, but we have another game to go! 

Here are a few pictures of the day:

Wilbie is a sweet boy!

Owen loves his Grandad

All of our handsome guys! 

The original Swain kids

Will loves his Uncle Jay

Grana and Nana with the boys

Joel and I hit the Dad jackpot and these boys are pretty lucky to have him as their Grandad!

Well I have to wrap it up. I got a little ambitious today and signed up for hot yoga at 5:30am tomorrow. I'm sleeping in my yoga clothes and have already paid so that I can't back out! I've read that hot yoga can good for Hashimoto's or bad depending on how your body reacts. I'm obviously hoping to be on the side since Pilates twice a week isn't enough exercise and regular yoga classes aren't offered early enough to fit my schedule...that I know of anyways. 

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Custom Pools of Lubbock

Wow, a lot can happen in a year.  Last July 4th, Jay leaned over to me while we were watching a fire works show and said that he wanted to start a pool company. He said that he had been thinking about it and that there seemed to be a market for it. I peppered him with questions (like I always do) and then told him that I knew he could do it...even though I was pretty nervous since the most pool involvement he had ever had was swimming in one... He and his friend Jacob both had interest and decided to begin this venture together. Around December they started talking about company names and landed on Custom Pools of Lubbock. I had hoped that he would stick with the Paradise theme but he insisted on separating the pool company from his landscape company. His companies, his rules. Fast forward to this spring and things started getting real. Somehow without having ever built a swimming pool, Jay sold two pools back to back! They weren't just any pools either...they were both going to be showcased in the West Texas Home Builders' Parade of Homes!! I can't even explain the pressure on their shoulders to perform...it's like trying a brand new recipe at a dinner party x's 1000. Anyways--he pulled it off (of course) and did a phenomenal job. His pool and landscape in the Vintage Township neighborhood won the Outdoor Living award at the Parade Preview on Friday night!! I'm just so impressed and proud of his hard work and fearlessness. Here are a few pictures of the work. 

This jumper

I've really been wanting a black 'jumper'/'romper' (whatever they call it) all year. I've questioned whether I could pull one off but decided it was worth a try. So...I found this one at Ann Taylor online and had my assistant run by the store to pick it up. 

Well of course, I expected it to look just like this on me...but that was not happening. Let's just say that the torso was too short and I practically violated the damn thing. Awkward. 

Black jumper 1, Hillary 0

They probably wouldn't even take it back if they had seen me in it...Sorry Ann. 

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Memorial Holiday Weekend

Jay and I had a little getaway to Fort Worth this past weekend! We went for a close friend's wedding reception and turned it into the chance to see some other friends, eat well and relax. Basically a win/win/win. Warning: this trip (like many others) was not well documented in pictures. I really despise myself!

We arrived in Dallas at 3:45 on Friday afternoon and got our rental go cart...I mean car. It was a Chevy Cruze and it shook the whole time! 

Here we are 'cruzing' to FTW. 

We got to FTW and went to dinner. Jay insisted on Joe T Garcia's and even called ahead to ensure that they had gluten-free options. I knew they had gluten-free options bc most of their dishes are corn tortilla based but I can't eat grains of any description so it didn't help me much...I ate fajita chicken and gaucamole. I didn't tell jay though bc he was a. Being thoughtful and b. So excited about the food. 

After dinner, we went to West 7th and sat on the patio at Waters and had drinks (hot tea for me :( ) while waiting to meet up with one of my best friends from college and her boyfriend (who I had not met yet!)!! We met them at AF + B and they had more drinks while I guzzled water (pity party for one). Celia and Aaron were all I had hoped for. He's got my vote! Sadly...no pictures of that get-together. 

Saturday was amazing! We slept until 10:00am...it was really more like 6:30am and then forced ourselves back to sleep. It worked! We got up and walked from our hotel to the Reata and had lunch. My amazing bun-less burger deserved a food pic but another failure on my part. Then we went to Nordstroms so that Kay could find some new jeans. He didn't find jeans but I found shoes and he found freshly baked cookies. We both win! We headed back to the hotel and got ready for the Cyrier Reception. The reception was about 30 minutes away in Bedford. 

Waiting on valet:

Zach and Sarah got married in April in LV and I wasn't able to make it so this was a must attend for is! Sarah and I go waaaay back to our Outback Steakhouse hostess days and Sarah and Zach actually met at OB! They are expecting their first baby (GIRL!) in September and Sarah was even starting to show...a little. Adorable!! 

And just because girls need options...our selfie!

Love her, mean it!

After the reception, Jay took me to Ruth Chris for dinner. They were full so our concierge suggested that we say that it was our anniversary. We did and it worked...except they referenced it all night and spread confetti hearts all over our table. Oh well, it was worth the facade! It was amazing!! We went from dinner back to West 7th to meet up with the Pabody's (long time couple friends from Jay's Midland days). They recently moved to the DFW area and were in town for the Colonial golf tournament. They started drinking around noon so it was quite the show by the time we met them and their friends. Then it started pouring rain and that broke up the party pretty well. We were in bed by 11:30...which I consider a victory. 

Our flight home was at noon on Sunday so we got up and had breakfast at The Cowtown Diner and hit the road. I LOVE eggs Benedict and was thinking that I would have to give them up until my stroke of genius! I ask for sautéed spinach instead of an English muffin and it was incredible!! Let us say 'amen'. 

We made it to the airport and grabbed some coffee for Jay. The barista asked for a name so I have her mine and then when she realized that it was for Jay she handed him this...

We got home and Jay invited a friend over to grill and play washers. My best childhood friend called me and told me that she thought that she had punctured her eardrum with a q-tip. I met her at the office to survey the damage and although she severely abraded her ear canal, thankfully she didn't puncture the drum. Warning--graphic picture! She was cleaning her ear with a q-tip when she hit her arm accidentally and pushed the q-tip all the way down. She completely skinned her canal stopping right at the ear drum. This is why q-tips are dangerous!! You never know what will happen when your holding one in your ear! Let this be a lesson kids...

I got home around 10:00 and Jay decided that it was time to shave the dogs. Poor Stella and Job...they look pretty bad (especially Stella). Much cooler though and much less hair to deal with!

Monday was GLORIOUS!! I began my day off by having coffee with Alyson. After coffee I went to Sprouts and did all my grocery shopping. I unloaded everything and settled onto the couch for a Criminal Minds marathon with my pug and a steady slow rain. Can't get much better than that!

Lush. 

Then the slow rain turned into the hardest fastest rain that I've ever seen and flooded everything in the neighborhood. It was all fun and games until Jay went out to his nursery/office and found that his office was flooded with about 3 inches of water from front to back. Not cool but still really really thankful for the rain!! Thank you Lord!

While Jay and Carpet Tech were working on the flood zone, I continued my marathon and cooked several things for the week. I'm really good at being strict with my diet but having foods prepared and ready for lunch and dinner makes all the difference in the level of stress that comes at meal time. After about 9 hours of serial murders marathon style...I was thoroughly disturbed and went to bed. It really was a perfect day full of all the things I love: coffee with a friend, home, pug, husband, weim, pointer, marathon tv, and the best...RAIN! Let's keep praying for more!

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Favorite Things

I am bursting with a few new favorites. Most are related to my new 'lifestyle'...but I guess there are some perks to major changes. 

Synergy Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented probiotic drink made from black or green tea. I drink one a day to help replenish the good bacteria in my intestines. They make it in a ton of different flavors. My two favorites are Strawberry and Chia Seed Raspberry. Water and herbal teas are the only things that I'm supposed to be drinking so this is like a 'treat' for me...sad, I know! You can find this for about $3.50 at any natural/whole foods type grocery store. 

The next favorite is probably the best one! I bought myself a Blendtec blender. I did quite a bit of research between the Blendtec and Vitamix and landed on the Blendtec because of it's digital features and ability to travel well. It is INSANE!! Talk about amazing smoothies and anything else you might want to blend. This thing was a little pricey...it retailed for $599 but I found it on sale for $379. A little crazy, I know, but I am using it ALL the time and it does not compare to a 'normal' blender. Embrace the impulse buyer in you and get this blender...if you do a lot of blending of course! This isn't the model that I got but I couldn't find a picture...

I'm a long time lululemon lover and was pretty excited to see a new track short. This track short has wide elastic cotton waist band but are still long enough to wear in public which is why they made my 'favorites' list. Seriously the most comfortable shorts on the planet. Not cheap ($54) but you need these for summer!

RMS Beauty is a new organic makeup line that I'm giving a try. The primary ingredient is coconut oil and all products are 'liquid/cream' and come in a little pot. So far, I'm a HUGE fan of the concealer, a moderate fan of the blush/lip gloss and not loving the eye shadow or highlighter. The concealer has excellent coverage and it's the only base product that I'm using currently. The blush doesn't blend as well as I would like but does stay really well so that's good. The eye shadow creases even with a primer underneath and the highlighter I just can't seem to really need. I would definitely recommend giving the line a try though if you're looking to get away from unnecessary chemicals. I can't remember the exact cost but I think that I got the four pots in a special package for $125. 

My last favorite an amazing cookbook called Against All Grain. It contains 150 grain-free and dairy-free recipes that are delish! There are a lot of recipes in the book that I can't get into yet but it has definitely helped me expand my mind and meals since taking on this very strict diet geared towards healing my gut from the damage that the gluten has done over the years. The lady who wrote it (Danielle Walker) suffered from severe ulcerative colitis for years and years and finally cured and healed herself after taking on a completely grain-free diet. It was around $25 and I think it would be great for anyone trying to eat better, not just those of us with restricted diets!

Enjoy!

ht