Raw Eggplant... My Tangent on Meat... & My Exciting Weekend Plans!

So in my attempt to become raw, I thought of this bright idea to dehydrate raw eggplant and spice it up with an interesting tomato concoction that included a variety of fresh produce, spices, and herbs. Don't get me wrong, it seemed like a good idea in my mind, however, upon taking a bite of the first little miniature eggplant pizza, I was quick to realize it was a bad idea. It was too dry due to my lack of saturation of olive oil and not to mention the texture of the raw eggplant grossed me out so much that I couldn't eat but a couple of them. You are probably asking yourself "why would she even eat another after experiencing the initial bite of the distasteful eggplant pizza?" It's simple, raw food is gross. I am trying to train my body and taste buds to really enjoy them. Well, let me rephrase that, not all raw food is gross. However, being raised with the diet of my parentals, you could only imagine the difficulty I have in converting to such a "raw" lifestyle. I really don't enjoy too many raw foods.

I have found that you can train your mind and body to pretty much do anything. It takes a lot of willpower and dedication. Honestly, I don't know how well this is going to turn out for me because if you are close to me you would know just how little of willpower I really have, but I want to be healthy!

People these days eat way too much meat and sugary goods when really the human body is not meant to consume such foods. It says in the Bible and Book of Mormon to eat meat sparingly, but for some reason people have stopped paying attention to that small commandment. There are a lot of factors that go to prove this theory, one of which being that our teeth are not designed to chew the meat. If you look at the teeth of carnivores, you will see that they have many very sharp and pointing canines. Human's have them, but I believe we were designed to have the few that we do have, for those times of famine when that is all available eat. They were given to us for those dire times. Human intestines also do not have the capacity to digest large amounts of meat. The intestines found in the human body are long that have food traveling through them over a 12-24 hour period of time. Meat rots in the intestines over that long period of time a long with the dispersement of parasites and other diseases found in cooked meat. The intestines of a carnivore are very short and their digestive tract is fast, leaving little to no time for foods to rot inside the body. This is probably why colon cancer is so prevalent in humans.

Ha! Sorry about the tangent, but the more I read up on being "raw" the more interesting it is! Like I said before, it is very difficult to become raw, but the more I learn about it the more I want to do it.

Now, on a more exciting note! I decided to drive to Washington this weekend for Labor Day with my bestest friend, Katie Grandon, to 1) See my family 2) Do something fun other than stay in my house all weekend long and 3) Swap cars with my daddy. He is going to fix mine and then sell it so I can buy one a little more reliable. I am so excited! While I am there I plan to do the following:

1. Visit the huge Saturday Farmers Market in Portland, Oregon.
2. Go to The Blossoming Lotus Cafe, a raw restaurant, that is located somewhere downtown Portland
3. See my cute nephew Jaren. I'm his favorite aunt!

Best Friends...

I spent the evening with one my very best friends that I have not seen very much lately, though I wish it were different. I feel like a have a handful of best friends and contemplating what makes a best friend exactly, I have discovered that the people who I consider to be my best friends are those that 1) I look up to and have many characteristics I really would like to have 2) love me unconditionally even when I feel like the biggest screw up on earth 3) can be completely normal around me even after going months without talking due to busy lives 4) make my heart jump out of my chest when I see them and 5) put up with my bratiness (trust me, I'm the biggest brat you will ever meet!).

All of my best friends have taught my some very important lessons and have helped me to grow in so many ways. Tonight I was told that I have grown up so much in the past 4 years. I was told of how much confidence I have gained and how intelligent I have become. As the conversation proceeded and I was told of all the different ways I have improved and grown, I couldn't help but think to myself "the reason why I am person that I have become is because of the friends that I have". I have been on my own for a long time now. I have had a job since I was 14 and lived on my own since my senior year of high school. The great and positive influences in my life have been from the amazing people and friends that surround me. I have learned of who I want to be because of who they are. It goes to show of how people can really influence your life, while at the same times makes me wonder how many look up to me the same way I do to my best friends. It's a little unnerving knowing who I am and how many improvements I feel are necessary in my life.I have included pictures in this blog of some of my very best friends...

My Three Best Investments

There are three items that I treasure dearly, not because they are material things, but because of where they have taken or taught me...

#1) You will best bet that this little $3.75 item, purchased at the distribution center, has brought me insight and taught me more than you could ever know. I purchased this triple combination about 4 months ago when I started attending a Book of Mormon institute class. My teacher instructed us to get a small Book of Mormon and read it as often as possible. He told us that he takes his everywhere with him so he can always have the powerful words of God there to instruct him. His testimony of the Book of Mormon is amazing and though I did not think he was the best teacher, his love for the Gospel and testimony of the words provided to us in our day in this little book, will forever stand out to me. I have marked this book up and down with my thoughts, feelings, and realizations of my struggles and joys for the past few months that I have had while studying and pondering the great messages available to me. I have had many personal revelations and wouldn't trade it for the world.

#2) This may seem a little weird, but my running shoes is definitely one of my best investments. This $110 purchase takes me to places of fresh air and solitude. They help bring me that piece of mind and help me to reach my goals as an individual, whether it be physically, spiritually or mentally. There is nothing better than strapping them on and heading up into the mountain for some exercise, or to the back road for a run, or better yet... to kickboxing! They have taught me dedication, determination, and love for something that I once hated. I have also been enlightened to the outdoors(yes, I know I am becoming a hippy with my raw lifestyle and outdoorsie stuff, but I am coming to terms with that!). Because of this item, a whole new Amber was formed. I have more respect for my body and how I treat it from the experiences I have had while wearing these.

#3) Yes, this really may seem superficial, but if you only knew the places my Volkswagen GTI has taken me, or the good conversations I have had in it with friends, or even the clearing of my mind in my times of tribulation while going on drives, you would understand why this is one of my best investments. This car was purchased in June of 2003, right before the beginning of my senior year in high school. I have many memories in this car. It has brought me many life changing experiences. On October 14, 2004 this car took me through Washington Oregon, Idaho and stopped in Provo Utah where I, not knowing then, would became a completely different person... for the better. Two years later, this car drove my best friend out to Utah to be with me and again, would change my life dramatically for the EVEN better. Today this car took me on a drive in the canyon and onto Big Springs park where I walked and contemplated the direction of my life. I am sad to say that I fear this specific car will not be with me much longer. It's life expectancy is slowly dwindling down, but memories, experiences, and life changes it has brought me will never be forgotten. In case you are wondering, this picture was taken in July 2006 at approximately 11AM... the day Katie Grandon moved to Utah.

With all the purchases I have made in my life, and yes I have made many... a few too many in fact, these are the ones that have brought the most meaning to my life....

I Love My Job

Now that I have had my little venting session, I want to say some positives things about my current occupation. I honestly love my job despite how crazy it can be or makes me be. I love walking in my office knowing that it is my responsibility to make it my own and to put my name behind the differences that I make(Look at this page and you will see my name... like I am important or something). Most of the time I feel accomplished upon leaving my office, and in fact, I don't know if I have ever had such a satisfying job as this one. I know that I was inspired to take this job for a reason. Though I did not feel adequate enough during the first couple of weeks, I kept this mindset that I must have been placed there for a reason. We are not given inspiration for no reason. I have learned a lot working where there and would not trade it for the world. There are still days where I do not feel as though I am doing my best, or that I feel to be the best qualified, but I am still learning, as we all are, and I am always ensured by my Father in Heaven that it is the place I need to be at this time in my life.

I love the people I work with! I wish I had a picture to post of them, but they are all so great! Oh wait! I do have a picture but it is a little outdated. Check out our website and you can see my work family!

Well, I guess that is all I have for today. This morning, on my high horse, I had all these things I wanted to blog about, but now I am feeling a little writers block so I guess I will end now...

Thursdays

I woke up this morning thinking about how much I like Thursdays. In fact, I often think of how it is my favorite day of the week because it means that you are more than half way done with the work week and can look forward to Friday.

As I was getting ready I planned out all my goals for the day of what I needed accomplish before tomorrow. I was able to get payroll done early this week in preparation for a less crazy Friday and was actually looking forward to a more relaxed latter of the week. Ha! I should have thought twice with all my positive thinking because I found myself most of the day on the phone either getting into heated money collection fights that ended in my hanging up on the general contractors due to their lack in funding for the past two months or yelling at my coworker to get out of my office because he was screaming explicitly at one of our sales reps in hopes of firing him while I was yet, again, on the phone. My desk was a mess the entire day which I hate(I think the picture illustrates how I looked most of the day). On top of that, due to a lack of communication it is possible that my insurance will not be taking affect until next June, as with a couple others in the company, simply because our health insurance broker could not remember to tell us that there was a 30 day waiting period upon new hires as opposed to 6 months. You know what that means? Open enrollment is the only opportunity which does not come around until next June. Now, because most of the day was spent putting out fires, tomorrow is catch up day for the tasks I wasn't able to do today.

Never again will I sit on my high horse that early in the morning expecting Thursday to be the best day of the week...

Obsessed

Obsessed... It is a really funny looking word if you look at it for too long, but none the less we all have our little things we obsess over for a period of time. Sometimes it is only for a short time, while other items we find ourselves living, eating, and breathing them day and night.

If I were to pick three things I am obsessed with in my life today they would be:
1) Grey's Anatomy
2) My decision to become raw
3) Jack Johnson

I hate that Grey's Anatomy is at the top of my list but I have come to terms with the fact that I am addicted to the show. My roommates decided to watch all the seasons and for whatever reason I ended up sitting in the living room for one of the episodes. Needless to say, I have not been able to break away since. I have an addictive personality which means I have the hardest time walking away once I start. It became my reason to live. Okay, so maybe that is a little exaggerated, but it really has taken over my life. In fact, I watched 6 episodes last Saturday night and ended up dreaming about the show. I went to bed around 2AM that night and woke up at 7AM thinking about Derek and the look he gave Meredith as they were standing there at the prom waiting for her to make a choice. He always looks at her as though she is the only one he can see. It is something I want to find someday. Maybe my fantasy is a little unrealistic but at the same time it just makes a girl feel so good to watch someone else have that and only hope for yourself. That is probably why I like the show so much... I am living vicariously through Derek and Meredith.

Yes, I have gone raw! People tell me not to use those terms when describing my habits as of recent due to the fact that it sounds a little provocative, however, there is no better way to describe it. Upon talking to my bosses wife, I have found that eating living and raw foods ONLY is the best thing you could ever do for your body. Ever since my freshman year of high school, when I went on the Atkin's diet (yes, this is completely opposite than that of a raw diet, but we live and learn right?) and lost 100 and some odd lbs, I have been searching for a healthy life style. I have tried many different things and I think I have finally found the end. I will not lie, it is so hard to eat nothing but raw foods. The worst is cutting out baked goods. Growing up I ate cooked dessert foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I wasn't eating dessert foods, I was chowing down on fast food. I never had energy, motivation, or confidence. By the time I was 15 years old, I was 5'9", weighed close to 265 and wore a size 24. My weight has been a constant struggle but maybe now I have found the end. Since I have gone raw there have been many changes in my life including that of energy levels, brain activity, motivation, and feeling just down right good. I have only been raw for 3 weeks now and not 100% at that. It is hard to make that drastic of a transition so I have decided to take it slow. As time progresses, I am sure I will see more positive affects. My obsession with this new lifestyle has also taken over my mind... when I am not thinking of Grey's Anatomy of course! When I get home at night I can't help but read tons of blogs of raw foodists and discover new recipes for food. Learning how to unleash all the digestive enzymes in food has become a passion...

Lastly, Jack Johnson! Need I say more? My good friend, Ryan Mendenhall, was so kind as to take me to a Jack Johnson concert this past Monday at the USANA amphitheater. I had heard some of his stuff in the past but now I am hooked! I haven't listened to anything else but Jack since that night. His music is so down to earth not to mention he thinks I am "smooth and creamy like peanut butter". There are few musicians who I feel are pretty genuine and really mean what they say/write about in their songs. He seems as though he means what he is singing about. Gavin Degraw is another one of those who I feel very strongly about but don't even get me started on him because I won't be able to stop!


I don't feel as though obsessions in our life are bad. In fact, they can be refreshing because they give you motivation, something to look forward to, and can make you productive if the drive you derive from them is acted upon. That is how I find to accomplish goals in my life, by the mere obsession I incur forcing myself to live, eat, and breath whatever goal that happens to be at the time.