Weekend adventures

We had a couple fun adventures this weekend!

Saturday, we met up with Christine for some Mexican food (hope she liked Davidson's!) and shopping. Armed with expiring coupons, she picked out two wool coats at Macy's and new pink running shoes at Dick's. We both found some great clearance deals at JCPenney, and Brad had fun following us around the mall and carrying our shopping bags :)
Sunday, the McKees joined Ma, Pa, Kari, Vicki, Kayla and Jessie for our first geocaching excursion. I've learned that it's all very secret, so I won't tell you where we went. But we found six caches, and each family planted a travel bug. SpongeBug SquarePants is racing the other family members' TBs to get near EuroDisney in Paris, France. :)

New foods

I've always liked Cream of Wheat so I thought I'd give gluten-free Cream of Rice a try. Honestly, I couldn't really tell much difference. I guess the texture was a little creamier, but it was good. A keeper!

We went out to dinner at Flying Pie Pizzeria in Lake Oswego because I'd heard about a gluten-free pizza crust. Basically, you choose whatever pizza you want off and add $3.25 for the GF crust (12-inch only). I got the vegetarian. The crust was super thin and strangely chewy and crunchy at the same time. But the flavor was right on -- nothing strange about that. I would get this again for sure!

:)

Take the challenge!

Brad, Mom and I did a very rainy (and dark by the time we finished!) hike at Tryon Creek State Park to kick off the New Year. We're excited to renew our fitness challenge for 2009 and wanted to invite you all to join us in our effort to become healthier and stronger!

So here are the quick details:

• Everyone will set his/her own goal for weekly exercise (example: minimum three 30-minute cardio sessions)
• Keep track of your progress on the group Google calendar (if you want to "sign up" with us, I'll get you the login info)
• If you meet your weekly goal for the entire month, you get to join in on a reward of some kind -- group reward or you can set your own reward system that works for you
• We encourage each other make our goals and help with accountability

Reward ideas/options include: dinner or snacks, game night, movie night, hiking, snow playing, etc, etc.

Let me know if you're interested in joining our little game. We'll start the official challenge calendar after this weekend (1/5).

-Liz :)

PS - Even if you don't join the McKee Fitness Challenge, get out there and do something on your own - YAY!!

The great experiment

My tummy doesn't like me... and I don't know why. I finally decided to ask medical professionals for help figuring it out, but after seeing several doctors and having a bunch of *really fun* tests, I still don't know why it dislikes me so much.

The latest doctor suggested that I try a gluten-free diet for a month... a large percentage of IBS sufferers (which is apparently what they call people with unhappy tummies even if the doctors don't know what's wrong) get relief from cutting gluten (wheat, rye and barley) from their diets. So today began the great one-month experiment. My morning started with this:
Tasted like Captain Crunch. Lunch was Toby's Tofu Pate on rice/nut crackers. Dinner was a fish taco on a corn tortilla. I don't like corn tortillas at all. I'm hoping I can learn to love them. We'll see.

I'll be trying lots of new products and recipes over the next month. At least it's an adventure :)
-Liz

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can you believe that it's already 2009?! Let's make it a good one!
"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Snow walk

Heavy snow showers fell as my mom, dad and I enjoyed a Christmas Eve eve walk.
:)

Merry Christmas to all!

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Luke 2:1-20 The Message