a very merry christmas

After hours of dice games, twenty-five place settings, eight dozen cookies, four Caribou gift cards (yeah, I think they all have me pegged), a handful of 'no-way-did-that-just-happen' moments at dinner, about 360 miles of driving, and multiple trips with Haddie up and down the stairs - over and over again, Christmas 2011 is behind us. It was fantastic. With an away Vikings game on Christmas Eve (and therefore Mike traveling) and near record-high temperatures, Christmas felt (and was) a bit different this year. Our traditions were mixed up as we shared different parts of our holiday with different sides of the family - it was a special Christmas.

We are usually with Mike's side of the family on Christmas Eve but because he was busy in Washington D.C. defeating the Redskins, I spent a few extra days at my parent's home. It was great to be home with no agenda other than our annual cookie-baking day and random holiday preparations. My break was kicked off to a great start with breakfast with one of my favorite former high school English teachers. It was fantastic catching up and reminiscing about the last decade. I did a little shopping with my dear friend Kerin, checked out Whole Foods with my dad and visited with my grandma (who I brought back from Florida shortly before Thanksgiving). We had a fantastic evening with my immediate family, playing games and laughing way too much. I tried to fit way too many things into three days at home but it was well worth it.

Christmas Eve was hosted by my parents. I don't even know how to summarize how ridiculously awesome and crazy our dinner was with the extended family and friends. But one thing I know how to express is my amazement with my parents and their incredible gift for hosting. It has taken me awhile to understand that what they do and how they put it all together is so above-and-beyond incredible because it is something they do for every holiday and was a tradition I assumed every family had just the way we have it. I know many families have special traditions but my parents are truly gifted when it comes to making every detail special. Every element about the way the table is set, the food that is thoughtfully prepared, the people that are included - down to the police officers who are on duty at the time...it's who they are and it's amazing. It's something I hope to replicate someday for my family and if we are half as good as they are, our kids will be lucky.

After a great brunch with the whole gang on Christmas morning, we headed to Mike's family's house about 86 miles south of Medina. And it always takes the hour and forty-five minutes to prepare for the cousins. Holy moly there are a lot of cousins. I love this family almost as my own and it was a special year celebrating Christmas day and night with them for the first time ever. Their dice game antics are ones I hope to witness for many more years to come. After the extended family went home, we played a new game called Quelf. It's unlike any game I've ever played. So many laughs. We ended our Christmas celebration visiting our special friends Sam & SueEllen who were also home for the holidays. You might remember my post a short while back from their wedding in San Diego. It is always great catching up with them and talking about this beautiful life we all share.

We were countlessly reminded how blessed we are and as I begin to reflect on this year as we transition into another one, I find myself so thankful for family, friends and freedom. May we never lose the spirit of these moments...

I haven't collected all the pictures from Chorley Christmas this year so most of these are from our time spent with our Wobschall side. I will update this post as soon as I get all of them!

My gorgeous mama.

Cousin talk.

Brother Billy with Marcia (Gma)

Terribly fun game.

Deb, doing what the game told her she had to do. Ha!

The Wobschall kids. 

What goes up, must come down.

Mike looks like he is taking credit for our major fall. Ha!

Mike's cousin's daughter - SO adorable!

The adorable girl's adorable baby sister. 

Christmas time phone pics...

Warm weather in December = summer flats will be worn.

My annual Vikings date with my dad - seeing my favorite current non-Vikings player Saints TE Jimmy Graham. 

Annual girls date to see the Canadian Tenors!!! 

At the Vikings Christmas Party at MOA theme park...

Roller coaster action shot at the party.

The Vikings Christmas party is one of my favorite nights in December.

St. Olaf Christmas spirit! 

Hair cuts by mom. Home sweet home.

Ms. Blueberry Machine. 

My DELICIOUS organic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!

My beautiful new scarf. 

Grandma's kitty. Jack's sister. :)

clean and green

"healthy soil makes healthy plants makes healthy people." 

It has almost been a month since I have decided to eat a completely organic diet. It has taken a lot of thought, research, doctors appointments, conversations with people who have made the switch, patience and understanding but with each week, I find more progress and stability. Other than the support and understanding of my family, probably the most helpful thing has been reading about other peoples' experiences and talking to them about challenges. So, I thought I'd share some of my experience along this interesting journey. 

What does an organic diet really mean? I get that a lot and it is a good question. One really important thing to understand is that it is not a diet in terms of losing weight, it is a lifestyle. The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

In a nut shell, it means eating foods that have been raised/grown without the use of carcinogenics (which are in most herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides), genetically modified organisms, hormones, antibiotics, artificial flavors, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners. And when you really start looking into it, you will find that almost everything we consume has a combination of many of those things. 

Sometimes it can be hard for me to change something unless I have a catalyst for doing so. Life works in mysterious ways in that regard. I don't think it would have ever occurred to me to consider what I was eating more than I already do. I am pretty healthy and very picky when it comes to food but had no idea even the healthy foods I eat contain so many bad things for you.  This all happened because of my miscarriage. My body did not return to "normal" after my second surgery at the end of August and this was the third of three options we were going to try before doing something more drastic. And as someone who feels strongly about natural methods, this was a perfect option. It has been really challenging at times but things get easier and easier as I go along and I even think some practices we are adopting now will become permanent. My learning curve has been great because much of this is new but we are lucky to live in a world that is beginning to really honor health and truly healthy foods because there are a lot of organic options these days. 

Here are some random things I've learned over the last month-6 weeks that I think are so interesting and important to understand:

1. Organic foods are actually better for you. Results of a 4-year European Union study on the benefits of organic food suggest the fruit, vegetables and milk are more nutritious than nonorganically produced food and may even contain higher concentrations of cancer fighting and heart beneficial antioxidants, according to the Medical News Today, November 2007. The results also suggest that eating organic food is equivalent to eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables a day because of the extra antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. 
2. Many pesticides accumulate in fatty tissues, such as that found in breasts, which has a direct link to breast cancer. "Women with breast cancer were found to be more than 5 times as likely as cancer-free women to have detectable levels of the pesticide DDT in their blood." 
3. An international committee found that a genetically engineered system of injecting cows with bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to increase their capacity to produce milk may produce chemicals in the cows' milk that could cause breast or prostate cancer in humans who drink the milk. 
4. A common herbicide called Roundup contains 41% glyphosate weed killer and 15% polyoxyethylene amine (POEA), which acts as a detergent. Herbicides are known to emasculate wild male frogs and men living in rural areas have significantly lower-quality sperm than men living in urban areas. - Can you imagine?! We are consuming weed killer. Gross. 
5. The fact that organic meat animals are raised humanely would be reason enough for many people to eat organically, but there are plenty of other reasons why it is appealing to do so. Get this - 90% of all nonorganic beef raised in the US contains up to 6 growth hormones that are banned in Europe because of health concerns. And a recent study in Minneapolis found that 95% of supermarket chickens tested were contaminated with campylobacter and 45% of ground turkey was contaminated with salmonella. These bacteria, which can cause infections in humans, were also found to be resistant to one or more antibiotics. And according to WebMD, 'antibiotic resistance in chickens is caused by the widespread practice of putting antibiotics in feed to make them grow more quickly." - Yuck. 
6. The use of antibiotics is not allowed in organic farms. In fact, if they have to treat an animal with antibiotics even to save it's life, they are no longer allowed to label it as organic. - Awesome. 

There are so many reasonable and logical reasons why we should eat more organic foods. Unfortunately, two of the biggest issues with this lifestyle is that it is really expensive and takes a lot of intentionality. For those of us who are doing this for health or fertility reasons, we are encouraged to be all in or all out - meaning, do it or don't. So, except for the occasional bite or two of something, my diet is completely organic. Although I consider the investment into my health very worthy, it does add up. But if you're looking to be healthier without completely transforming, there are things that are recommended to adjust as a starting point. For example (and in order of importance according to various sources):

1. Apples (pesticide and fungicide residues in and on the fruit) 
2. Beef (growth hormones, routine use of antibiotics, poor conditions in feedlots, excessive fat gain from grain feeding right before slaughter, possibility of mad cow disease)
3. Bell peppers, carrots and celery (pesticide and fungicide residue)
4. Cherries (pesticide residue)
5. Chicken (bacterial contamination, routine use of antibiotics, inhumane conditions during growth and slaughter)
6. Corn (genetic modifications, herbicide use, damage to topsoil)
7. Milk (use of bovine growth hormone, routine use of antibiotics)
8. Most fruits and vegetables because of the use of pesticide, herbicides and fungicides

Here are some of my favorite things (and brands) of my new diet:

I definitely think that organic fruits and vegetables taste better but I can't tell a difference in taste with chicken (I think that's probably good, though). And there are some great organic treats out there, too - so it's not all boring. But yes, organic junk food is still junk food.

Other than the cost (which to me is completely worth feeling good and being healthy), there have been a few really tough aspects of the transition.

1. It is really hard to find organic food on-the-go. It takes a considerable amount of planning for me if I am leaving home or meeting someone out for a meal. It's tough sometimes to not be able to participate in family meals out, especially around the holidays. And I understand I am in control of that but I really want to do this right or what's the point? 
2. I miss soda. I drink SO much more water now, which is great, but sometimes I'd love to have a soda (even despite how disgusting soda really is now that I know what's in it and how it's made). 
3. Explaining to people why I am doing this. As I mentioned earlier, after giving my family more detail about what this is about, they have all been incredibly understanding and more-than-accomodating, but it's hard to quickly summarize to people.
4. It isn't always easy to consider everything I'm eating. It takes a lot of effort. It is definitely getting easier as we slowly replace bigger staples in our home but again, on-the-go is tough. I feel like I'm making constant trips to the store. 

It's hard to measure the results of this transformation because so much of it is subjective. And of course there are plenty of factors in your overall health and happiness but I have experienced major differences in the last month that may have something to do with my food. Some of them are more personal relating to fertility so I will leave those out (I'm more than happy to talk about those things 1-on-1), but I can definitely tell a difference with getting better rest and feeling less tired throughout the day, feeling more on top of things, less agitated, and happier in general. There has been a lot of progress in my overall health (specifically within the last 3-4 weeks), which has felt like a roller-coaster the last 6 months, so I am happy. And I am going to stick with this. :)

So much research suggests that 'we are what we eat' and I think there is something to be said for that.

For Your "Mr. Jurek"

Mrs. Glover (and her husband, Jeff) - my elementary teacher and the parents of a very good childhood friend. Two of the most wonderful people out there.  

I ran into a former middle school teacher this past weekend at a funeral and it has prompted a lot of thought about growing up and particularly about my school days at Orono. It is not something I think about very often, which is somewhat intentional. It's a time of my life that I appreciate now for what it forced me to become but it isn't something I hold onto as it is not a source of great confidence for me. There were some really fun parts about high school - team sports, being around friends all day, English class, falling in love the first time ('kid-love' that is). Those are probably the things I appreciate most about my Orono years. There were a lot of challenges back then, too. And I imagine it's still difficult for teenagers as they continue to try anything and everything to find their place of belonging as they get to know themselves better. I fear the day when my child becomes old enough to face those years. I know they can be brutal for some. They weren't brutal for me but I have a bit of angst thinking about who I was then because I am proud of who I am now. And that person is very, very different. But above all of that, the one thing that stands out to me more than anything else about high school is the teachers I had along the way. 

I had some incredible teachers. And I'm sure every school has them but I think the teachers are the best thing about Orono. When talking to my former teacher on Saturday, he said something that has been stuck in my mind since then. He was telling me what he's up to now since he retired and he said, not in any malicious way at all, if he would have known about his current job back then he never would have gone into teaching because it was the most thankless period of his entire life. And in reflecting about that, I thought that maybe it's because I think Orono has some of the most entitled, snobby, students out there, so no wonder it was thankless. But I also think those students exist everywhere. It saddens me to think that teaching is a thankless job. It is probably one of the most important jobs and in my life, some of my teachers have affected me in ways they probably will never understand. I am so grateful for the things they taught me, the ways they inspired me, pushed me, supported me and for the person I've become, partly because of their influence. And if only I had the maturity and perspective then that I have now, I would have told them that every day. 

So, for the Mr. Jurek, Mrs. Glover, Mr. Erickson, Ms. Lubke, Mr. Williams, Mrs. Johnson, Ms. Cherry or Mr. Eklund you had in your life, let us give thanks and always be grateful. 

Pool day with Gabe Glover & Kelsey M. 

Because it's too funny not to share...