10 Reasons NOT To Give Up Caffeine

Oil and coffee are the two most important products to the global economy. So I think it's worth talking about. That and I love all things coffee. There are plenty of reasons to stop the caffeine intake anything from dehydration to the shakes to insomnia. But what about reasons to not give up? Never ever ever ever give up I say. Here are the reasons why you can happily embrace your cup of coffee today. 

• According to Mayo Clinic studies, coffee appears to improve cognitive function and decrease the risk for depression.

• Antioxidants. Coffee is loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants. Coffee is the leading source of antioxidants in American diets according to The Buzz On Coffee article.

• According to both the above articles, recent research is showing that coffee can reduce the risk of Parkinsons disease, type 2 diabetes, and a number of different cancers (including colon and liver)

• It helps keep you awake. If you drink coffee excessively it might keep you awake all night, but I have found 1-2 cups of coffee before noon to be extremely helpful to jumpstart my day. Since coffee is known to boosts the activity of brain cells, it helps keeps me alert and focused on my morning commute and energizes me for the day ahead.

• Yummy

• It helps people to bond. It seems that people are interested in people’s caffeine use. Do you drink tea? Coffee? Soda? Why? And if you don’t drink caffeine people are equally as interested to know your reasons why! One of my first conversations with Scott was when we were in class together and we discussed the why or why not we didn’t drink coffee.

• It helps to relieve headaches. I know this is a big controversial issue because caffeine can cause them especially when it comes to withdrawals. However, the flip side of the coin is that they help you feel better according to research done by the Headache Clinic at Vermont Medical School. One thought is that caffeine cause blood vessels to constrict, thus helping to relieve the pressure that causes pain. 

• Recent research is finding that caffeine might be good for our skin according to Live Strong. Apparently since caffeine constricts blood vessels, it can decrease inflammation thus making our skin more healthy. Apparently there is caffeine in many anti-anging products and skin care products. I feel a little bit weird about this as I don't want my goal in life to be about reversing my age and growth. However, less inflammation seems like a good thing.

• It helps give me a routine and rhythm to my mornings. I like having the morning tradition of coffee. It helps me to take a minute for myself before I pour out to the world. I like how it causes me to slow down and be present. There's something about drinking something that requires your attention. You can't multi-task too much or my coffee cup is left lukewarm (this happens more often than I like to embrace)

• It has given me a hobby. I love going to new coffee shops. Whenever Scott and I travel, our favorite thing is exploring the local coffee shops. Scott is much better at the actual learning and making-coffee-part. I am much better at the-soaking-up-the-environment part. He has made us some really good cold brew lattes! I like having a coffee drink to go with all four seasons. Someday I want to visit a coffee farm. 

*or, coffee

How To Grow An Urban Garden*

*Disclaimer: This is to be read in a sarcastic tone. Please don't attempt to try this at home.

Don’t you just love nature? I love the way things grow and sprout up from the ground. I like the smell of fresh leaves after a rain. I adore the way I feel free and alive when I am near flowers and trees. My husband and I are both a bit of a contradiction. We love urban living and we love nature. We so value being able to walk to coffee shops, eateries, bookstores but we also love getting away into the wildness of nature.

So I’ve decided to have both. To live in mid San Diego, soak up the urban life and YES have a garden. I’m bringing the nature to me you guys.

In fact since we are so limited on space, we have decided to have an urban garden in my closet. Yes, MY CLOSET. 

We checked out the community gardens nearby but they had a waiting list and we aren’t patient so it’s happening now.

So listen. Here are the steps to getting an urban garden in YOUR CLOSET in just 7 days..

1. Most importantly you need to have a neglectful property management. If you want to grow anything apartment style you better hope they don’t notice anything.
2. Make sure you have an apartment that has lots of leaks/floods and a fragile pipe system preferably. After all, anything that wants to grow NEEDS WATER YOU GUYS. No brainer.
3. After you have secured a place that offers the potential of a hot water pipe break, then just wait for the magic to get started!
4. Once your closet has successfully flooded and you have taken all your clothes out (sustainable food is more important than clothes people!) make sure the plumber makes a sizable hole in the wall to reach the pipe. Your garden needs room to grow!
5. Now is the hard part, just wait a couple days, let the moisture, heat and hole just hang out together.  Once you’ve planted the “seeds” this is a waiting game.
6. In a few days (day 7 specifically) if you’re lucky and the conditions are right you will start to see MUSHROOMS sprouting up. Right there, in your closet.  URBAN GARDEN WIN.

It’s up to you how you want to use your produce. Mushrooms can be put on your steak, pizza or in your salad. Get creative! You can also sell your produce like farmers market style and set up a little stand in your local town.

I’m considering selling my little mushrooms for about 100 bucks a piece. They are very special mushrooms. I’m not really sure but they just don’t strike me as your typical garden mushrooms. These mushrooms grew out of a wall so they are pretty resilient and I think probably full of magical potions.  They grew like 6 inches overnight. That’s pretty incredible if you ask me.

I can’t stress enough how organic these mushrooms are. At times I had the urge to dump a bucket of bleach all over them because my clothes missed their closet home but I persevered!

It may take discipline and time to build your own urban garden but I’m here to tell you it can happen. You are worth it. Together we can make the world a better place.

Farmer Heather

A 24-hour Guide To Enjoying Fall In San Diego

Lower temperatures. Leaves changing color. The smell of pumpkin spice. Fall is in the air. Its finally October! Since I gush about fall all the time I figured it is high time I put together a 24-hour guide to enjoying fall in San Diego.

I have some strong Midwest roots, as that is where my childhood took place. When I moved to San Diego and the temperatures didn’t exactly drop 20-30 degrees I had to get creative to feel festive. I like to go all out. As soon as I can I am buying miniature pumpkins and headed to Trader Joes to get their pumpkin bread mix and Marshalls to stock up on kitchen towels and apple and pumpkin spice candles.

Yet time seems to be a sneaky thing and sometimes I feel like my ability to enjoy fall is limited. So, if I only had 24-hours to experience all of what fall has to offer in San Diego, here is what I would do:

The first thing my husband and I would do would walk to our favorite local coffee shop, Dark Horse Coffee. They specialize in pour-overs, cold brews and French presses at their Normal Heights location. Ever since it opened a couple years ago we have been hooked! They have a cozy space with a large window that overlooks bustling Adams Avenue. The costumer service is amazing. They are friendly and they know their coffee. Come fall I am very excited about what Dark Horse has in store. My fall favorite is their Pumpkin Spice Latte but they also have a Dirty Pumpkin Space Latte as well as their brand new Salted Maple Latte. We would pick up or drink and our donuts (yes their donuts are amazing. I usually get the French Toast) and head on out to our car to drive up to Bates Nut Farm.

Bates Nut Farm is 100 acres of sprawling land, pumpkins and nuts. They roast and package their own nuts and have everything from walnuts, pistachios, and pecans to cashews. They also have homemade fudge.  The first time my husband and I went here it was 80 degrees out still and we wore shorts. But just being in this area made me feel very festive and full of magical fall feelings. They have a picnic area, a petting zoo and plenty of food vendors, which give it a farmer’s market type feel. My favorite part is their huge pumpkin patch. They have gourds, miniature pumpkins, huge orange pumpkins and little white pumpkins. It is a dream come true for a pumpkin lover such as myself. My husband and I were determined to find just the right pumpkin. We ended up getting a little carried away and got one that weighed 46-pounds! We needed a wheelbarrow to maneuver it the half mile to our car! It sat in our small one bedroom apartment all fall looking huge and glorious and made me smile every time I passed by.

After this we would probably drive back to our neighborhood and maybe take a “nature walk”. I love going on walks around our neighborhood especially in the fall. The leaves are falling and their brilliant colors cover the sidewalks and streets. During this season, I notice a fresh earthy smell in the air.

We would probably get hungry for dinner and probably walk to one of our favorite locale eateries called Soda and Swine. It’s a hip and casual restaurant with a retractable roof. It has a cozy fireplace that makes it feel very inviting during the fall months. It is filled with wood, brick and bright red stools. They have chalkboard menus and craft bottled soda to consider as you wait in line. I usually order a Cheerwine soda to start. They specialize in gourmet meatballs. You first select your meatball and then whether you would like it as slide, a submarine or on spaghetti. I go back and forth between the Bovine (beef with marinara and mozzarella) and the Hen (chicken with mushroom cream and provolone) and have it with spaghetti.

For me though, the sides are where it’s at. I’ve been a “side girl.” For much of my life I’ve genuinely felt like a sidekick to other people’s entertaining and dramatic lives. I’ve secretly felt that sidekicks have more fun though and I guess I have taken this theory into the way I eat. I don’t eat at places for their main dish. I go for the sides and drinks.  Here they have an array of options and I have gotten anything from hand cut twice cooked fries, to their apple salad to their garlic lemon parmesan broccolini, to their macaroni and cheese with aged cheddar.

For desert they have a Classic Apple Pie and a Carmel Pecan Apple Pie. They also have a seasonal pie special, which I am guessing is going to be pumpkin something.  My whole life growing up around the holidays especially in the fall my mom makes pies. She makes the crust from scratch. I mean she is legit. So when she told me Soda and Swine’s Classic Apple Pie was the best she’s ever had in her 59 years I really believed her.

Considering it’s Sunday we head on over to Balboa Park Spreckel’s Organ Pavilion. This very special organ contains 5,005 pipes! If you don’t know much about organs you are not alone! My husband and I decided to check out these concerts one day impulsively and now we just love them. They will have concerts every Sunday all throughout October 31st they have a special Halloween 2015 Silent Movie. They are going to be showing the classic 1925 silent film Phantom of the Opera accompanied with organ. Honestly the first time I went to a silent film at the Spreckel’s Pavilion I was afraid I would be bored. But honestly it was so interesting and fun! The organist was so skilled and made me feel sad, sorrow and humor whenever I was supposed to during the course of the film! Now that it’s fall it’s a perfect time to grab a hot chocolate or hot tea and visit Balboa Park!

After the concert, Scott and I would head to Ballast Point Brewery in Little Italy and grab a  Pumpkin Down, which is a Scottish ale with pumpkin,toffee and caramel flavor. I just tried it this weekend and was pleasantly surprised as I am picky about my beer. My mother-in-law and I both loved it! 

 

After our nightcap we would go home and if we aren’t too tired watch It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown and fall asleep content and happy after our day of fall festivities. 

For any other fall happenings or events make sure to check out Eventbrite to help figure out what autumn festivities you might want to incorporate in your day. I’ve used them numerous times to purchase tickets for events and they have been fabulous! You can also use their event management software to really get your fall event going!

Blog-Tember Farewell!

Today's prompt: A farewell coffee date. Take some time to breath, sip a warm drink, and share with your new blogging buddies. If you'd like a prompt: how did the Blog-tember Challenge go for you? Any surprises? What was your favorite prompt, or what would you like to see included next time?

I've never liked good-byes. I didn't even like saying goodbye to the fire ball at sunset as a child. It always felt foreboding even though I think dusk is absolutely gorgeous now. Growing up I moved a lot before the age of 10. I've lived in 6 states and probably far more than a dozen houses or apartments. So just because say goodbye a lot; doesn't mean you like it. I've been in San Diego for 7 years now so that can tell you I actually do like staying in one place and putting down some roots!

I'm thankful to have put down some roots with all of you this past Blog-Tember Challenge! I have loved getting to know you all and reading all of your brilliant and creative posts. It has been so fun!

Here are my highlights:

1. Prompts about creativity and favorite seasons (FALL!)
2. Learning how to create a mood board!
3. Focusing on photography and how to have a picture for every blog. This was a tough challenge for me. I am more comfortable writing then showcasing my photography for the world to see. I don't even think I should call photography! Ha! It's more like "let me snap a picture from iphone" and "where is the natural light?!" type picture taking
4. Gave me something fun to look forward to every morning. Even when I didn't feel like I had the time, I always enjoyed being able to do it and felt more grounded and overall happier having done some blogging.
5. Meeting all of you of course!!! Thank you for reading! Thank you for all your comments! You are all so generous with your words.

And thank you to Bailey for doing this! Your prompts were fabulous! I love all your pictures and all the thought and effort you put into this challenge. You rock!!!

Blog-Tember | Day 29: Blog Topics that Feel Just Fine

Today's prompt: Write your own list of blog topics to inspire us next month

This is so bitter-sweet! I am sad Blog-Tember is coming to a close. I've had so much fun! Today I am sharing 12 blog topics to keep us inspired for next month. These are a work-in-progress. They are just ideas, not exactly blog titles. These are some things I'm interested in hearing more about and am excited to write more about! 

1. Top 3 favorite foods and why
2. Adventures in Urban farming
3. Sexism and it’s role in the church
4. What does our faith have to say about the diet industry and obsession with being thin?
5. 5 Ways to Get More Natural Light in Dark Rooms
6. What To Do When You Feel stuck mentally, physically or spiritually
7. A-Z list on Introducing Psychology or maybe some kind of theory I love
8. FAQ about Me
9. Pros and Cons of West Coast Living
10. Pros and Cons of Midwest Living
11. 10 reasons not to give up caffeine
12. Fall City Guide For San Diego

What do you guys want to read about? So looking forward to your lists! 

Blog-Tember | Day 28 A Day In The Normal* Life

Today’s prompt: A day in the life, take us through it with you!

Today is Monday! I am excited to take you through my day and hope it’s not too tedious or boring! It’s not exactly a trip to the Caribbean!

I work as a school-based therapist. After I completed my masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy I went on to work at three different high-schools. I would usually just work at one school and have a caseload of 20-25 clients and families. This is my first year being a lead therapist at three schools and no high-schools included! 

So for me, every day is a little different. I’m at different school every day with a different schedule so I’ll just walk you through my Monday!

6:45am:  Wake?????? (whyyyyyyyyy)

7:00am-8:00am:  Shower??? Find something to wear? But I can’t! We had a leak in my closet and my clothes are literally EVERYWHERE while they fix the leak and fill the massive hole. I need coffee!! Why is my contact lost in my eye socket?! Scott has been making us breakfast sandwiches recently, which has been so nice. I am not a morning person. I just move about my morning like my life is the worst. I don’t come alive until I have had my coffee and approximately 2 hours after I am awake.

8:00am:  Leave for work or at least attempt to as I run out the door with all my bags. #bagwoman #travelingtherapist #circustherapist Scott usually walks me out to the car which is a simple thing but a really bright part of my day. Right now he is working to fundraise to join Young Life so he usually heads to a coffee shop after that to work on emails and phone calls. 

8:00am-9:00am: Sit in commuter traffic and try not to punch something. This is my 5^th week at the job so I am becoming calmer about the whole thing. I’ve been listening to Ted Talk podcasts or Magic Lessons pod-casts which has really helped pass the time!

9:00am: Arrive at elementary school

9:00am-9:30am: Check mail box, get in to office, check email, drink my coffee, breathe and do a little bit of writing. Recently it has been blogging for Blog-Tember which I have loved. It has helped create a good rhythm for me.

9:30am-2:00pm:  Generally I see clients or run group therapy during this time. I also write progress notes, review referrals, make calls to parents and have lunch. Today however is my first day doing “therapy time” in the classroom. I am going to a 3^rd-5^th-grade classroom and our topic is on decision-making. I am really excited about it but a little nervous!

I thought nothing I hear could surprise me anymore after working with teenagers for the past 3 years but I was wrong! If you tell a child you went to the beach, apparently they might want to know whether or not you took off your shirt and suddenly I am caught off guard.

I’m just not as used to working with elementary aged children as I am high schoolers. I’ve brought my Jenga game to the office to help build rapport and get to know my clients. I write process questions on the blocks. I had very nerve-wracking moment as one of my little clients pulled out a block that said, “what is your view on drug use?”. It’s a very useful question for a teenager. It’s a terrible one for a child. Thankfully it was not super readable and I said “tell me about your view on dogs” NOTE TO SELF: Take that block out when working with elementary aged kids.

With high-schoolers I am used to their fears ranging from becoming a drug addict, to not fitting in, to impregnating someone. With elementary kids when I ask about worst fears answers range from “snakes to the dark to Halloween people ” And I kinda agree with them. “Halloween people” are The WORST. They are so scary.

2:00pm-3:00pm: It’s about a 45 minutes drive to the therapy offices where I have staff meetings (aka group supervision) and do a lot of my paperwork. As this is Monday and Mondays are tough and long for me I usually treat myself to a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks on my way over and listen to happy Christmas music to calm myself.

3:00pm-5:00pm:  Group Supervision time! Also a nice little tidbit: I work with my one of my best friend! She referred me and now we both work for the same agency. We have different schools so we don’t see each other all except for Mondays at the office so Mondays is naturally my favorite. We also sometimes carpool on Mondays and that makes the long commute WAY MORE FUN.

5:00pm-6:00/7:00pm:  I usually do paperwork during this time at the offices or I can see “clinical clients”. Thankfully it’s only Mondays that I don’t get home till 7 or 8. Generally I get home about 4pm.

7:00pm:  My husband is honestly so amazing. Recently I’ve been coming home to a clean house, a candle burning and dinner planned, if not almost ready. I am so relieved to be home from work and immediately change into pajamas or yoga clothes. We eat dinner and talk about days.

8:00pm-10:00pm:  We relax! Especially on Mondays. Throughout the week we have various dinners or events with friends, book club, art nights or appointments. Sometimes Scott goes to play poker. Sometimes I do yoga. Last week we went to a Padres game on a double-date! But on Mondays we chill. If we do anything we take a walk around then neighborhood when it’s cooler out. Recently we’ve been watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. If we don’t do that, we might have a “reading party” and have a quiet night reading.

10:00pm:  We get ready for bed! Usually we do “gratitude and prayer” and we list off the things we are thankful for from the day. Then one of us prays and we usually fight about who it is because we tired. And if one of us falls asleep in the middle of the prayer, we fight about that too.  Basically all our fights at night are due to how tired we both are. But by the end we feel content and happy to be falling asleep together.

*This is what I would consider a "normal day in the life". Unfortunately yesterday and today are not normal. Last week we had another hot water pipe break/leak on my closet. There is a large hole in my closet. We have crazy amounts of fruit flies/drain flies and ants?! And then we found a mushroom growing in our closet. Needless to say we stayed the night at our friends' Abby and Wil's last night until our landlord gets back to us. I thought my day sounded boring and now I want boring. No more crazy!!! At least I am wearing a new striped shirt from Marshalls today. #win 

Blog-Tember | Day 27 Wish List

Today's prompt: What's on your wish list? Be sure to include links so we can shop too :)

So for the blog-swap day we did a "fall fashion wish list" If you want to see what I am eyeing head on over to All Things Britney Lee and check it out. I am still after my "no coffee no workie" gray tee and am checking out green jackets as well.  But for today I figured since my birthday and Christmas is coming up I'd do a "wish list" for both! 

The CLUTCH

The BOOKS

Thee ESSENTIAL OILS

The NECKLACE

The PUPPY

That's basically my wish-list in a nutshell! Scott and I have been wanting a dog for awhile now. We even have a puppy fund! However the apartment complex we live in now has a "no dog policy" so we have been waiting. We can't decide on what kind of a dog or even if we should start with a puppy because they are so much work and we both are working and have crazy schedules. I grew up with labradors so I'm a bit partial to them but I also like Beagles and Basset Hounds. I just love floppy ears!

If any of you have any thoughts for medium breed dogs that aren't considered the most stubborn (beagles) of all dogs let me know!

What's on your wish list?