Day One or One Day – Your Decision <<< I love this quote! Even if you set resolutions and haven’t come close to meeting them, you can still start today! No one says you need January 1 or a Monday to change your life. You can start making changes in the right direction at any time!
Speaking of it being a new year…my question is: HOW IS IT ALREADY FEBRUARY? Although January felt like it lasted for 5 years, time, in general, has flown by since my last life update post.
I’m over a month behind on this update but in my defense, January is one of the busiest months for the website so I’ll blame that. 😉
Our previous 2018 updates:
THE WEBSITE
We’ve been focusing on coming back to our roots of healthy recipes and workouts (YAY!). We have SEVEN years worth of content on the website and some of it no one ever sees because it’s buried under new content. The task we’ve been completing is going back through older content, updating it by adding in helpful tips, new pictures, copying comments from the previous website into the new one (because those didn’t transfer over correctly!) so that it gets a new breath of fresh air.
Below are a few of the posts we updated in Q4 and a few I did in January:
- Honey Glazed Bananas (new pictures, new content, and new video!)
- Whey Protein Powders – Reviewed (updated content)
- Plant-Based Protein Powders – Reviewed (updated content)
- Taco Soup (new pictures & new content/tips)
PLEASE HELP!
We have a huge favor to ask: We lost all of our comments and reviews when we switched platforms. I’ve been slowly trying to add the comments back into the posts but would love it if you could rate/review any recipes that you have ever made! Below are the steps. THANK YOU!
How to rate/review a recipe:
- Find the recipe you want to review (here are our most popular if that helps you find the one you love!)
- Scroll to the bottom of the post (past the recipe card and other comments)
- Select the number of stars (hopefully 5 ;-))
- Write a comment in the comment box
- Press the button that reads “post comment”
Most Popular Recent Blog Posts
- Full Body Burn 32-Minute Tabata Workout
- Pecan Pie Overnight Oats
- Healthy Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Skinny Muddy Buddies
- No-Bake Energy Balls
- Gift Ideas for the Outdoor Adventurer
- Gift Ideas for the Health & Fitness Lover
- How to Throw a Party on a Budget – Sam’s Club Food Ideas
- What to Wear Hiking in Cold Weather
- Tips to Make Meal Prep Easier
- Fruit & Vegetable Wreath Trays
Most Popular Social Posts:
- Instagram: Jackson, Wyoming Pictures
- Pinterest: 3 Simple Eating Habits That Changed Our Life
PERSONAL
Dad’s Brain Surgery
My dad had his second brain surgery on October 17th (his first surgery was on August 25 because he hit his head on a metal bar in July). He was in the hospital for over a week this time and then released with the requirement of 24-hour supervision for two weeks. He also had to do occupational, physical, and speech therapy. He finished his therapy sessions right before Christmas and seems to be doing really well. Scott and I took him on a short hike Christmas morning and he did AMAZING. We made sure to hold up any tree branches to make sure he wouldn’t trip or hit his head on anything. He was finally able to do what he loves after not hiking since August and having two brain surgeries. It was the best Christmas present anyone could ever get!
Fun Fact: That hat he has on is more of a hard hat so it provides a little protection for his head! Cool invention. 🙂
Anniversary
Our 11th anniversary was December 1. TIME FLIES. I feel like I was just posting about our 10th anniversary yesterday! I posted 10 Things We’ve Learned in 10 Years of Marriage last year. We don’t typically do “anything” for our anniversary and instead count the trip we take in December as our “gift” to each other. 🙂
Back Injury
I’ve hurt my back twice in the past seven years and each time I know what I did because the pain was instant. This time was different. I hurt my back a few days before we left for Jackson and I have no idea how. It would get a little better each day but I was not able to go to the fitness center that I normally do in Jackson nor was I able to do anything other than walk (snowshoe).
It was about a month total before I was really able to workout (lift weights). I honestly thought I wasn’t ever going to heal! I am back to 100% now but I’m still pretty cautious… just bummed I couldn’t go to my favorite fitness studio while Scott skied!
P.S. We’ve done a podcast on injuries before. Check out WHAM Podcast (episode 009)!
Camp Fire
Although we have no connection to California (other than we’ve traveled there) the latest wildfire there has really touched me. There were 88 people killed in the Camp Fire on November 8th, which was the deadliest wildfire in the United States in at least a century. There are thousands of animals that are still missing and so many groups and volunteers that are helping to locate these animals that have survived over three months in a completely burned out area.
This wasn’t just a house fire – the entire city of Paradise, California burned. This means that people lost their homes, cars, pets, all possessions, and some lost their jobs since the businesses burned. Now, think about all of those people trying to find somewhere else to live all at the same time. My heart hurts thinking about it.
Although I want to go to California and help in person that isn’t really that feasible right now. I decided that I would do what I could to help from afar. I’m a member of a lot of the Camp Fire lost pets groups on Facebook and do what I can to try and help match lost pets to the ones found. If you are also an animal lover interested in helping local or from afar please email us and I will get you in touch with those on the ground. You can reach me at thegang at heandsheeatclean dot com (formatted like a regular email address though).
TRAVEL
Jackson, Wyoming | October 2018
I touched on this trip back in our Q3 update but we went to Jackson, Wyoming the beginning of October with my sister and Scott’s mom. My dad was also supposed to join us but was unable to because of his first brain surgery. 🙁 We had a fantastic time and it was a gorgeous time of year to visit! I was able to get plane tickets for $144 round trip!
We only had 3 full days there but explored 3 states, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. We visited Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Scott and I also snuck away one morning for a hike in Grand Teton National Park. I don’t have this trip recap finished yet, but I’m working on it. 😉
Below are a few of our pictures and we posted more on Instagram and Facebook.
If you are interested in how we travel on a budget, check out these posts:
Boone, North Carolina | October 2018
Scott’s uncle has a cabin in Seven Devils, North Carolina so not long after we got back from Wyoming we went up to Boone to enjoy the nice weather! We explored around Linville and Grandfather Mountain.
Pigeon Forge, North Carolina | November 2018
It was supposed to be a really nice weekend in the Smoky Mountains so we took advantage of it! Scott had a half day on Friday so we drove up to Pigeon Forge to spend the night. We woke up and hiked Rainbow Falls to Mt LeConte on Saturday. We were treated to both fall and winter on the hike. I’ve never seen anything like it – IT WAS GORGEOUS!
Jackson, Wyoming | December 2018
As always, we took our annual trip to Jackson, Wyoming over Scott’s break in December. As I’ve mentioned numerous times, we take a trip to Jackson for anywhere from 6-9 days for less than it would cost to go skiing in North Carolina!
Since my back was hurt the entire trip I wasn’t able to do much other than a few snowshoe trails and going on the snowmobile. Yes, we did snowmobiling through Yellowstone again! SUCH an amazing experience. We booked the Grand Canyon trip this time (we did Old Faithful last year) and since there were only two snowmobiles on our trip we were actually able to see the entire lower loop including Old Faithful again.
RELATED: 5 Winter Activities in Jackson, Wyoming
HIKING
October Hiking Total: 30 miles
- 10/01/18 – Bradley & Taggart Lakes Loop (WY) / 6.3 miles / 700 elevation gain
- 10/06/18 – Blood Mountain (GA) / 4.3 miles / 1,463 elevation gain
- 10/12/18 – Babble Tower Trail (NC) / 2.7 miles / 900 elevation gain
- 10/13/18 – Profile Trail to Calloway Peak (NC) / 7.9 miles / 2,100 elevation gain
- 10/21/18 – Blood Mountain (GA) / 4.3 miles / 1,463 elevation gain
- 10/28/18 – Blood Mountain (GA) / 4.3 miles / 1,463 elevation gain
November Hiking Total: 29 miles
- 11/3/18 – Rainbow Falls to Mt LeConte (TN) / 13.8 miles / 3,993 elevation gain
- 11/17/18 – Blood Mountain (GA) / 4.3 miles / 1,463 elevation gain
- 11/23/18 – Alum Cave to Mt LeConte (TN) / 10.6 miles / 2,500 elevation gain
December Hiking Total: 11 miles
- 12/12/18 – Snowshoe Taggart Lake (WY) / 3.3 miles / 300 feet elevation gain
- 12/17/18 – Snowshoe Deception Creek (WY) / 3 miles
- 12/26/18 – Raven Cliff Falls (GA) / 4.8 miles / 564 elevation gain
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