a tip for Friday

Oh what a wonderful start to a FRIDAY! I'm super pumped about the weekend... Chad is coming home tonight and tomorrow we are off to Oxford where I get to spend some quality time with... 

C-RAE!!!

Chad is initiating his brother Jack into KA tomorrow and to my knowledge, it's an all day affair.  So, tomorrow it looks like I'm going to get to enjoy the taste of comfort at

It's been over 6 months since I've had my whole wheat fruit muffin (yes, I've made them myself but they'll never touch the actual one made here). Pumped. As for tomorrow night, I'll probably be spending the night in the wonderful world of Catan!  If you don't know what that is, google it, buy it, and play with your friends.  We played it every night in Jackson Hole summer of '08 and it may have replaced Monoply in my heart.  

Along with playing Catan, I am going to give you another tip to improve your quality of life: 

Most know of my obsession with green tea... I keep Arizona in business.  We go through 2-3 gallons a week over here. Literally.

Also, get outside and RUN! The weather is beautiful.

HAPPY FRIDAY, ALL!

happy things.

Thought I'd take a break from JNC7 to think of things that make me happy. Definitely to be continued. 

this guy.

See this guy?

His name is Chad, but he is known by most as ChadBerry (one word). He's a pretty cool guy, so cool that I decided that it would be a good idea to marry him. So this past summer, I did.  I'd tell you about him, but I've already done so a while back.  If you missed that post, just click HERE for a little intro to Chad Berry.

Of course, I know him a little bit better now because... well, we live together. He's still NEVER idle, he's still fast (but getting slower), and he's still loves very well, even more than I knew!  There have been a few more developments, however,  since then, so I thought I'd clue you in:

1. He's a 10 year old trapped inside a 24 year old body.  I mean this in the best way possible, of course.  He loves xbox, boardgames, hamburger helper (that I refuse to make) and Hi-C.  He wakes up "ready to play"- in fact, he got up at 5 am last week just to play basketball before work. He never tires. Never. His energy level is truly remarkable.

2. He's prone to injury.  We've only been married several months and I've already found myself wrapping grass burned legs, helping stretch pulled muscles,  and later in the recovery room after a knee surgery.  His explanation is that he just plays real hard... and that he does.

3. He, like me (according to my senior English teacher), "Know's best how he know's what he know's." He is the most confident teacher, speaker and decision-maker I know.  Which is good because I'm not confident in really any of those things.  Everything else that "we know", well, we just have to agree to disagree.

... but on a more serious note:

4. He's extremely giving.  Although I dated Chad for a couple of years, it was not until I shared a life/bank account with him that I knew how truly giving he is.  I am so honored to be a part of his ministry through his sincere, generous heart.

5. He's a servant.  While his servant attitude could be described in a very heart-felt manner, his most notable service to ME was driving 18 hours (between two out of town work weeks 4 hours away) to go pick up my Herbert.  He also drove countless hours freshly post-op just to make sure I saw all of my family over Christmas, AND he works 12-13 hours days just to provide for me.

So maybe he forgets to put the top on the toothpaste, but if that's the worst I can come up with, it looks like I am so incredibly blessed to call Chad Berry my  husband.

So today, I am celebrating the Birthday of the greatest gift the Lord has given me on this earth.

chocolate fix

So... I've never been a huge sweets girl, but ever since my introduction to Nutella, I've rekindled my love for all things chocolate.  Everyone loves chocolate (or at least the gender of those who may read my blog), so I am going to share some of my chocolate fix secrets with you.  These products are [somewhat] healthy so they make you feel a little less guilty when you need to satisfy your cravings.

1. Dove DARK chocolate covered almonds

First, if you are going to eat chocolate, eat dark chocolate (no, not the nasty bitter kind).  You at least get SOME health benefit for the calorie trade-off.... dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants which is good for your skin, immune system, and fighting off harmful free radicals in your body. Secondly, the majority of each bite is an almond.  Almonds are great for healthy snacking, rich in protein, and opposed to pure chocolate, they fill you up MUCH faster... so no over-eating here (plus, you taste much more chocolate than almonds).

2. Granola thins (with DARK chocolate, of course).

It's the best of both worlds... granola + chocolate... And not TOO bad for a nutrition label.  They're truly mouth watering.

3. "Totally Churned" French Silk from Fresh Market.

Ice cream + chocolate = two things I love that are extremely high in fat.  And lets be honest, if you're going to eat ice cream, don't waste your time trying to save a few calories on sugar-free... go ahead and get the real stuff.  This is the best tasting ice cream I've ever had. Yes, even over my dear friends Ben and Jerry.... its soft, its smooth, and LUCKY YOU, its 25% less fat that regular ice cream.  It's made with all natural ingredients (because everything from Fresh Market is natural, duh). I discovered this just last night... Chad's favorite dessert is French silk pie so we gave this a shot... there will be a gallon in my freezer from now on.

4. Now for this next item, I'd like to thank my sweet friend Brett:

Dark chocolate almond milk.  I don't drink chocolate milk (or any milk for that matter), but this makes for an EXCELLENT addition to a strawberry banana smoothie.  Just blend some plain yogurt, strawberries, bananas, ice, some splenda and your desired amount of chocolate and you have a delicious, HEALTHY, chocolate-y smoothie.

So if you're into starting the year out by eating healthy, you don't necessarily have to give up your beloved chocolate... just try these delights to get your fix...