Weigh-in Wednesdays: Mind Over Matter

This week has been mostly centered around my mind. Trying to focus, stop procrastinating, and having hard conversations with people to move forward in both personal and business relationships. Each morning before I get out of bed I pick one thing that I want to accomplish and do everything I can to get that one thing checked off of my very long To Do List. It is usually something that has been on there for a very long time. And yes, it feels great when I can finally say – DONE. Working on just one thing a day is changing my world.

Today is 2/23 which is my mother’s birthday, she would have been 57 today. She died though when she was 44 and I was just 24. I miss her. Every year on her birthday and on her death day I either make her famous chicken enchiladas or I go out and eat Mexican food. My mother was an amazing cook and she loved making me and my brother food to take back to our dorms. Boy, were our college roommates jealous! For the first few years, her birthday was a source of great pain for me. I remembered all the really horrible hard times. You see my mother was a non-functioning alcoholic. She couldn’t hold down a job, never had a place of her own, and would rather spend what little money she had on cigarettes and booze. Tears stream down my face as I remember her tortured soul and know that even though her family loved her and begged her to change, she just didn’t have the willpower or strength to be anything other than who she was. My mother led a very hard life.

I don’t let myself dwell in those memories very often. It is too painful. I like to remember the way she smiled like a little kid whenever we gave her a present. (This might be why I LOVE presents.) She was also an amazing pencil and ink artist. Her favorite things to draw were eagles and Harley Davidson motorcycles. She was the typical biker babe, too! Happiest on the back of a Harley with her hair flowing in the wind, with not a care in the world. She could cook, boy could that woman cook. On Sundays she would always make us something special – whether it was my fave Mac N Cheese, enchiladas, or even pancakes for dinner. My mother had a very empathetic soul and had this creativity and passion that she passed onto me and my brother. He is a big shot cinematographer and I found my creativity with words and even flowers. My mother was so proud of us, so proud that even though she could never give us anything monetarily that we took with us her artistic abilities and the ability to look at those around us and not see color, race, nor religion. She taught us to look at a person’s soul to view their worth. Thank you Mom for making me the woman I am today.

UofA Graduation 1997

Weight Loss:

Lost 1.5 pounds – Yippee! I worked very hard for that loss this week. I will admit, I thought it would be more.

What I Did Right This Week:

• Worked out 6x – You read that right!! I have been in a zone
• Went to Yoga 2x – My 40 days is up and I am taking a small break and will sign up for a monthly membership for sure
• Made my Green Protein Shake 2x
• Had Kombucha 6x – I love this stuff!
• Stayed home almost every night, just needed some time and space away from the world.

What I Did Wrong This Week:

• Didn’t eat as many vegetables as I usually do.
• Had a really great Sunday Funday – but really, is that really wrong?
• Drank Pepsi 2x

Goals For This Week:

• Drink Kombucha daily.
• Make my protein shake 3x.
• Workout 5x and go to yoga 3x
• Drink more water
• Not to drink too much this weekend!

Attention Whore Moment: I ran one mile 4 times this week in a row! I NEVER thought I would be able to do that – without stopping even!! My fastest time was actually the first one at 12:16. The rest of the runs were truly a mind over body experience. I had to keep telling my mind that my body was doing it and to let go. My mind wanted to stop and rest, but my body was ok with running. It was a huge mental struggle on the treadmill those last 3 days. I even kept telling myself – Mind Over Matter, Mind Over Body. It amazes me how much my mind impacts my will and desire to keep running. I couldn’t get my breathing under control either and I knew I was having one of those moments. Those moments that define my character, that determine if I have what it takes to succeed. And I do! I get knocked down a lot. Seriously, a lot. And I get back up again. Each.And.Every.Time. My struggles with the treadmill just mirror my struggles in my everyday life. I am bound and determined to work through them and conquer them.

My intention for last week was Openness. By being open, I wanted to be able to experience all the emotions and experiences that life threw at me without judgment, without stopping to rationalize, and without worrying whether I was going to falter. I really did for the most part. It is hard not to automatically throw my walls up when someone is trying to get to know me or when I don’t feel worthy of a person’s friendship. Sometimes I just wait for that other shoe to drop, always anticipating the worst, close myself off to being hurt or disappointed. By trying to be open, I want to trust that people have good intentions and are not out to hurt me.

This week my intention is Empathy in honor of my mother. Have you ever really tried to understand life from someone else’s perspective? Why they do the things they do? When empathizing with others, I allow myself to grow and understand them, but always though my own lenses. I can never get away from that. I have a very caring and loving soul and it is enhanced through my sympathy and empathy for those around me. Why don’t you try it this week too?

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Weigh-in Wednesdays: Are you Acidic?

My friend @josephranseth recently talked to me about trying to get back to a more alkaline body instead of the acidic body that 98% of Americans have. When he first started talking about this on a road trip with @skinnyjeans to see @ohkatiecookies I thought he had lost is mind. What the heck was he talking about anyways?

Being acidic means that our body’s pH level is less than optimal (optimal pH level is around 7.35-7.45, slightly alkaline). When our blood level is acidic, our cells and immune system are not able to rebuild our tissues efficiently. When this acidic condition persists over a long period of time, it leads to many diseases such as stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, and heart disease.

An alkaline diet is based on eating food that burns in the body and leaves ash. The incombustible ash or alkaline residue is composed of minerals rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. The burning, in comparison to the catabolism of food, produces waste. A lot of vegetables are the most potent in their natural raw state and should be eaten with their skins on and not overcooked.

Sounds kind of simple right? So I went out and bought pH strips so I could test my alkalinity. I was a 5.0 on the first test! That is pretty acidic! I next went to Safeway and to Whole Foods and stocked up on Kale, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kiwi, alfalfa sprouts, green apples, limes (my favorite), and bananas. Here is a full list of foods that can help you get back to a more alkaline body:

• Alfalfa Sprouts
• Almonds
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Bamboo Shoots
• Broccoli
• Cantaloupe
• Cayenne Pepper
• Celery
• Dates
• Figs
• Grapes
• Kelp
• Lemons
• Limes
• Mango
• Papaya
• Parsley
• Seaweed
• Watercress
• Watermelon

For the last 4 days, I have had this Green Protein Shake for breakfast. It is actually quite delicious! You should try it!

Weight Loss:

1 pound – Coming out of the Holidays and all the crap that was the month of December, I will take that.

What I Did Right This Week:

• Worked out 4x! That’s right – 3x at the gym and then a great yoga session. I even pushed my cardio up to 35 minutes!! I couldn’t believe it either! Thought I was going to seriously pass out.
• Made my Green Protein Shake 4x and even prechopped the ingredients so I could make it on the mornings where I had little to no time.
• Made a delicious Turkey Mexican Salad – will post the recipe soon! It is so good, you should just thank me now.
• Made my own meals 80% of the time this week. Lots of great salads, lean proteins, and lots of water.

What I Did Wrong This Week:

• Drank wine 2x – but one of those was New Year’s Eve and the other, well, wasn’t.  I can say I had a really great night at The Vig Uptown!
• Drank a can of Pepsi only 3x – progress I know!
• Gave in to the chocolate ice cream that was calling my name in the freezer. It is very seductive you know.
• Still didn’t try that freaking quinoa!

Goals For This Week:

• Make the quinoa already!
• Make my protein shake 4x.
• Workout 4x and do 35 min cardio each time
• To be in bed by 10:00 pm 5 nights
• To release 2 lbs
• To drink Kambucha every day for 5 days!!

Emotionally all I can say is I am so glad that the Holidays are officially over! December was one of the worst months of my life – I was dumped, pulled over for not having current registration, was called Fat, But Attractive (seriously, a must read), had my debit card stolen, went on some ok dates, didn’t have the vacation I so desperately needed, plus other infractions.

On New Year’s Day I sat in quiet reflection alone and thought about all that I had been through in the last year, actually the last couple years. I wrote a post about the birth of my company Orange Dragonfly and tried to think of what I wanted to accomplish this next year. I honestly couldn’t even think of this next year at all. So I allowed myself to just be. To just reflect. To be happy and sad about all that had happened and revel in the sheer amount of changes that I had been through in such a short amount of time. I allowed myself to grieve over what I had lost and to be happy in what I had gained. On this day, I didn’t want to be around anyone, but just to be in my own little world. And I did.

On Jan 2nd, I reentered the world. I went to yoga in the morning, cleaned my place, and talked to friends throughout the day. I even went out with a new friend that night and had a surprisingly good time sharing a bottle of Arizona Stronghold’s Nachise.

I am blessed and cursed with an empathetic soul – I tend to feel with wild abandon, love harder, and hurt deeper than most. I lead with my heart, feel with my soul, and love with every cell of my body. This can be the greatest joy I have ever known and the greatest pain that has ever been felt. One thing that I am very grateful for is that even when I am at my worst and feel low with life, I have friends who reach out to show that they care. We each are on our own journey through life, and the friends we have along the way make the ride so much sweeter.

This year, I plan on embracing my best qualities and loving my worst – because they make me the incredible woman that I am.

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Happy 1st Birthday Orange Dragonfly

One year ago today I took stock of my life and wondered if 2010 could erase the pain and turmoil that 2009 had brought. I was in Minnesota with my in-laws realizing that my marriage was in a dire condition, and that even though we loved each other, we just weren’t the right fit for one another. I had to close my flower shop at the end of 2008 and honestly, most of 2009 was me trying to figure out my life. What did I want to do? Who did I want to be? What was I good at? The things I knew that I was great at – gardening, especially vegetables and herbs, funky flower arranging, and strangely enough, editing. I used to be an editor and coordinator for a Department of Defense contractor for many years, and as I sat looking out at the snow, I wondered – is there a need for such skills in small business?

The next few hours I spent researching editing websites, what they offered and how much they charged. I did a budget on what it would take me to start this new business and even wrote the rough draft of a marketing plan. By the end of 01/01/2010 I had purchased a new domain name www.OrangeDragonflyBlog.com and a hosting account too. You see, I already owned www.OrangeDragonfly.com and this was my floral website. I downloaded WordPress and started making the site my own. I had been doing article writing and freelance food reviews and knew that I wanted to offer this to my clients as well.  Who knew that in 12 hours, I would research, write a budget and marketing plan, plus start a website? Well, I have been told on more than one occasion I was a born entrepreneur.

Over the next three days, I really felt energized and that I had a purpose. Most of 2009 I wandered around like a lost soul, not sure of who I was anymore or who I wanted to be. When I lost my flower shop in such a traumatic way, I felt I lost my identity, my pride, and my self-worth. It completely devastated me and did irrevocable harm to my marriage and friendships. This editing business was the first business that I didn’t have a 50-page business plan written for – honestly, I was just going to wing it and see what fate brought me. I never would have imagined all that this little business has accomplished in one short year.

I went in my networking meeting on 01/04/2010 and walked away with my first client BottomDollarShopping.com who wanted to be rebranded, needed his web content edited and updated, and needed new business cards and fliers. I had many years experience working with graphic artists and coordinating the work between them and the client – right away this became a new aspect to my business. Through referrals my business started bringing in an income. I was out with the girls one night and my friend Kristi DeWitt said that she was looking for a typesetter and editor for her new book Stories from the Dating Trenches. She had an extremely tight deadline, and by working 12-hour days, we were able to get this fantastic dating book to print on time. I learned many lessons on this project, and I value each and every one of them.

The second week of March I had completed all my editing projects and walked into that same networking meeting on a Tuesday with no future work on my plate. I was the speaker that day and 10 minutes of my presentation was on my editing services, but the last 5 minutes was on Social Media. You see, I had been reading everything on this new topic and was completely fascinated with it. I used Twitter and Facebook for my business and every day I was receiving calls from friends and family asking if I could teach them how to use these tools. On a whim, I put these services on my flier for the presentation. That whim changed my life. I walked out of that presentation with 10 new clients, and gave the same talk the next day at another networking event and picked up 5 more clients. The next day I filed for divorce and moved out of our home. That was the craziest week of 2010 for sure.

In May I kept having clients say how much they wanted to change their websites and have more control over them, but that their Webmasters wouldn’t release the sites. With the increasing popularity of WordPress and blogging sites, this was a trend I saw all of last year. So I was hired to help people move their sites over to their own hosting accounts and use WordPress as the software platform. Another facet to my business was born.

With each of these migrations I had to create new business cards. In September I actually rebranded my entire look to a more 2.0 vision and have received lots of positive response over the transition. In October I went to Las Vegas to BlogWorld which was the largest Social Media and Blogging Conference in the country. I had no idea that so many people used their sites to bring in serious money by doing what they loved. I received so much advice on what I could do to make my site more user friendly and how to make a living writing and maintaining my business. The biggest piece of advice was make OrangeDragonfly.com my main business site and to brand it the same as OrangeDragonflyBlog.com. I have spent the last couple months doing this and am almost finished with all the changes.

These ones above are my newest cards! What do you think?

I can sum up 2010 with one word – CHANGE. I took each day as it came, I tried not to look towards the future, but to live in each moment, to be in the present. I had never done that before in my life. I rode some very big emotional waves, lost my footing a few times, but came out at the end on my own two feet. Thank you 2010 for showing me that I am still valued, loved, and still know a thing or two about small businesses.

Happy 1st Birthday Orange Dragonfly – you really gave me purpose again in my life. I will be eternally grateful.

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isms

Do you have any ~isms that you live by? These are my Kristisms.

Here are a few that I made up, or that I’ve heard along the way. Send me yours, and I will be happy to add them.

1. If you are not man enough to treat a woman right, no need to apply inside.
2. If you are not man enough to do dishes and floors, keep on walking.
3. If you are not man enough to change a tire, you best have AAA on speed dial.
4. If you smoke, chew tobacco, do drugs, have a criminal record, don’t take care of your kids, or don’t have a source of income, please do not ask me out on a date. #justsayin
   
5. You know when you know.
6. Sorry, not accepting anyone else’s crap today. This is a no crap day.
7. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
8. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
9. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer’s history if you die.
10. Wear a helmet. No excuses.
11. I’ve come to realize that I am my toughest critic. I am very hard on myself. I’m learning to let it go.
12. I’ve come to realize that my expectations are usually very high and rarely met.
13. I’ve come to realize that I am very resilient and usually land on my feet.
14. If you don’t know where you have been then you don’t know where you are going.
15. Don’t talk politics or religion with family unless you don’t want to be asked back until the next family reunion.
16. Live your life for yourself. Not your parents or your family, and not for a relationship. You are the best vessel to know what you desire in life.
17. Love fiercely, love often, love with wild abandonment.
18. Don’t live vicariously through others, create your own Bucket List and live vicariously for yourself.
19. Travel the world and experience other cultures. Don’t be small minded – open yourself up to the possibilities that are out there.
20. Well behaved women rarely make history. ~ One of my absolute faves.

I forgot the one that my girlfriends and I have said for years:

1. A girl’s gotta eat!!!

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New Chef and Owners at Coronado Cafe Make Dynamic Impression on Phoenix Food Scene

By Kristi Trimmer, Guest Blogger, FoodiesLikeUs.com
This is a reprint of the original blog posted on foodieslikeusblog.com on 01/15/2010

I stumbled upon Coronado Cafe over 7 years ago when it was a BYOB with old school desks and chairs for furniture and a very comfy cozy atmosphere. The whole ambiance was very eclectic and the food was amazing, which brought me and my friends back time and time again. Through the years, they acquired the much coveted liquor license and more contemporary furniture,but never lost that cozy inviting atmosphere. Although, to be honest, I really miss the uniqueness of the old school desks, I am stoked to try out the comfy patio.

One of the best new additions to Coronado Cafe are the new owners from Baltimore, Maryland. My friend Lisa and I were searching frantically for a happy hour spot before the holidays and were dismayed to hear that Lisa G’s had closed their doors. Since it was only 4:00 pm on a weekday, we weren’t certain they were open yet.

Lisa did the “Open, Open, Open” hand signs on the front glass and begged to be let in.  We promised them that we would only take up a small amount of space where we could indulge in some great wine and conversation. We were welcomed with open arms!

Unbeknown to us, the cool and zanny bartender (with some great earrings!) was actually one of the new owners. I didn’t even know they had changed ownership! I was mesmerized learning the background of this hip urban couple from Baltimore ~ Misti Jones and Executive Chef Christian Holt.

Misti runs the front end of the restaurant while Chef Christian creates masterpieces in their really small, but very productive kitchen.  Along with Chef Christian’s parents Diane and Michael Stackwick, this dynamic family-owned restaurant is ready to introduce Foodies to their east coast style of cooking.

Let me just say ~ the Maryland Crab Cakes are a must! I am normally not a fan of crab cakes because they normally remind me of wet sawdust, but these were absolutely amazing. The crab cakes were very moist and flaky with very little filler paired with grilled corn and tomatoes with a lime-cilantro remoulade for dipping. This appetizer is $14 and can easily be eaten as an entree.

Amazing Maryland Blue Crab Cakes!

Next up was the Goat Cheese Bruschetta topped with sweet chile sauce. This triple creme goat cheese is drizzled over thick bruschetta. There was a little heat on this one but it was offset by the oh-so-creamy goat cheese. I prefer soft bread as opposed to harder breads, and will remember to ask for that the next time. The Goat Cheese Bruschetta is $9 and three pieces come with each order.

I paired the Crab Cakes and the Goat Cheese Lavish with Sonoma Cutrer (Russian River) Chardonnay ($12) which is a good go-to chardonnay. It was not too buttery and had subtle hints of citrus. Lisa started with Huntington’s Petite Syrah ($9) which had a very high note and a strong bold finish. This wine is not for beginners!

Goat Cheese Lavish

I don’t typically order the fish when I am at a restaurant, but after trying the Pan Seared Halibut at Coronado Café, I realized I seriously need to reconsider that thought process. One taste of halibut, and I was sold!! I loved the presentation on this one too  ~ very colorful and full of julienne carrots, Shitake mushrooms, Napa cabbage, and red onions. The perfect bite was a chunk of the flaky halibut, plus a Shitake mushroom topped with the jasmine rice which was soaking in the Shitake ginger broth ~ I thought I had gone to Heaven. It was that good. This fish special is $24 and changes nightly.

My favorite this evening ~ Pan Seared Halibut

At this point I switched my wine to Voignier Fincala Linda (Argentina) ($9) which had a peppery kick, a bronze color, and actually tasted a bit like brandy. I really enjoyed this wine ~ very different with a unique taste that paired quite well with the New York Strip.

Chef Christian topped this perfectly prepared New York strip with a chimichurri style sauce.  The underlying notes of the tangy rice vinegar were coupled with white wine and loaded with lots of fresh herbs in olive oil. All of this tasty goodness is grilled on top of the steak and served with fresh garlic whipped potatoes. This dish is a meat lovers must have! The NY Strip is $22.

NY Strip - gotta luv meat!

The Cornbread Berry Cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream helped finish off a fantastic culinary evening.I absolutely loved loved loved this dessert. The berry compote was a splendid mixture of cherries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. It was a plate of hot yummy goodness.

Cornbread Berry Cobbler - I want this everyday!

Previously, the Stackwick’s owned a restaurant on Chesapeake Bay with their son Chef Christian at the helm. I am so grateful that they brought their recipe for their amazing Maryland Crab Cakes and Pan Seared Halibut with them out West!

Let me be the first to welcome to the new owners of Coronado Cafe to Phoenix. They brought a great New England flair to one of my favorite Central Phoenix restaurants.

Coronado Cafe is open for lunch Monday-Friday 11:00-2:30 pm and serves dinner from 5:00-10:00 pm with brunch on the weekends from 10:00-2:30 pm. They are located at 2201 N 7th St – just north of McDowell. 602.258.5149

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