What's in the Bag?

I just reached into my purse and I thought it would be fun to tell you about what's in my bag right at this very moment. If other bloggers feel so inclined, feel free to share too!

1. Wallet
2. Gold Ray Ban Aviator Sunglasses (do we live in Southern California or what? Sunglasses in March are very necessary.)
3. Chapstick-the blue moisturizing kind
4. Pink lipgloss that I got from Nicole as part of my hostess gift from her baby shower
5. A Tidestick. No explanation necessary.
6. Keys.
7. A medium sized tortoise-shell hair clip.
8. A small sized black hair clip-gotta have style options.
9. Face papers for that 3pm grease shine, haha.
10. A Mary Engelbriet pen that I bought as favors for my dear friend Chalak's birthday party back in January.
11. Business cards-I'm such a grown up.
12. Two packages of Southwest peanuts--honey roasted is back!
13. A baggie with almonds, aka emergency food.
14. A packet of sugar free Swiss Miss hot chocolate. So random, even for me.
15. The keys to the youth group room--whoops, need to put these back on the hook at home stat!

What's in your bag??

Happy Friday!

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." Psalm 91:14

Birthday Face.

One day late because we were too busy celebrating to blog.

Happy birthday to the smartest, kindest, most God-fearing, caring, thoughtful, generous, loyal man I know...

...my groom. You have my heart forever.

"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away." 1 Corinthians 13:8

Gleek

Two posts in one night? Must be something important, right?

Um, not really.

I want to talk about Glee. I'm sitting in my hotel room listening to "Raise Your Glass" because I heard Pink's version on the radio this afternoon and it reminded me that I like the Glee version so much better. Which got me thinking about how many Glee versions I like better than the originals...below, my top 5 (and as a disclaimer, I have not seen a full episode of any of season 2 but I always like to hear what songs they did so I end up you tubing a lot of them!):

#5: My Life Would Suck Without You. I probably use this song for my spin routines about once every two weeks. It's perfect for sprinting:)

#4: Don't Stop Believin'.
No offense to Journey; I just like the energy in this version.

#3: What It Feels Like For A Girl.
I don't even like this Madonna song but I love the way the Glee guys sing it!

#2: Raise Your Glass. New favorite. Could listen to this non-stop. At least for awhile.

#1: Teenage Dream. All-time favorite. I use this for spinning as much as possible!

Gleek out y'all!

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King." Psalm 98:4-6

Here and There

Last weekend Aaron was here:
And I was here:

For three days this week, I am here:

And Aaron is here:

Next week, I will be here:

But, I will leave quickly to go wait for Aaron here:

When I googled "Dallas", this came up:

After a weekend in Dallas, we'll both go here:


Whew! It's travel season for me, can you tell??

Hope all is well. Good night from beautiful Salt Lake!

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
Romans 5:1-2

Quick Dinners.

Aaron and I are teaching the high school youth group on Wednesday nights this Spring and our good friends, Brad and Janelle are teaching the middle schoolers. It's a lot of fun and we're studying the book of John. Last night, we had Brad and Janelle over for dinner because Brad works at Pepperdine with me and so him and Janelle have to figure out dinner every week since they can't go home. So, every so often, we try to not be our selfish selves sitting in the comfort of our home before youth group and have dinner with them:) As I was putting the finishing touches on our pasta and salad meal, I got to thinking about some quick dinner options that have become staple go-to meals in the Echols' house. Here are a few...I'm always open to new ideas so please leave a comment if you have a good recipe for me to try!

1. Pasta
1 bag of organic whole wheat pasta from Trader Joe's (any variety)
1 jar of tomato sauce (We like to use Classico Spicy marinara, Tomato Basil, or Roasted Garlic)
1 lb. Extra Lean ground turkey OR ready-to-serve turkey meatballs from Trader Joe's OR Jennie-O Lean Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
1 bag of organic baby spinach

2. Fajitas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 packet of McCormick fajita seasoning
2% milk shredded Mexican style cheese
1 can of black beans (for me)
1 can of refried beans (for Aaron)
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Guacamole (2 avocados and a packet of McCormick guacamole mix)
Whole Wheat tortillas

3. "Meat and Potatoes"
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and seasoned with garlic salt and seasoning salt(thanks to my grillmaster husband)
1 large sweet potato cut into fries and seasoned with olive oil and sea salt
asparagus or broc/caulifolower mix, roasted with olive oil and minced garlic

4. Stir Fry
1 package of Trader Joe's orange chicken
1 package of Trader Joe's frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 cup of brown rice
*We have done this without the prepackaged protein but it's easy, fast, cheap, and tastes good so every so often, we just keep it simple!

5. Aaron's new favorite: 5 ingredient green chile chicken enchiladas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
green enchilada sauce
1 package of cream cheese, softened
3 cups of shredded jack cheese
whole wheat tortillas
*This is not the healthiest recipe but it's a great cook-ahead item for the nights that I teach class. Very fast and very tasty!

I am always trying to move us towards more healthy quick dinners with less processed food items but sometimes, time really is an issue. Aah, one day I hope to have tons of time to prepare meals made mostly from scratch...but until then, these 5 meals, with variations of course, keep it interesting, tasty, healthy, inexpensive and most importantly, leave time for us to spend together when dinner (and dishes) are done!

What is your favorite quick dinner?

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
1 Peter 3:15-16

Words to Live By.

One of my favorite brands in the world has a manifesto that includes a ton of amazing words to live by including the ones above, "Sweat Once A Day". And I couldn't agree more!

For those of you who know me, I have been a fitness fanatic pretty much my whole life. I asked Santa to bring me this when I was about 4 years old and I guess you could say that my fate was sealed from that point on. I also remember having a Barbie (or was she some sort of knock-off wannabe barbie) that came with a gym locker. Who even knows where the fascination came from but thanks Mom and Dad for stoking those flames.

In middle school, I had a short volleyball career and in high school, songleading (think dance team/cheerleading) and Tae Bo (ha) kept me sweatin. Before I went to college, I decided to make a huge commitment to my health and my fitness obsession: I joined a gym. I had worked all summer and probably made about $1000 for the whole summer. When I went to talk to the gym staff about membership, I was given two options: 1) $300 for one year upfront and $99 annual renewal rate for the rest of my life, or 2) $600 for two years upfront and $49 annual renewal rate for the rest of my life. Like I said, I had worked really hard all summer and that $1000 made me feel pretty rich...did I really want to blow it all on a gym membership? I remember having a conversation with my mom about it and looking back, not to be dramatic, it was truly a turning point in my life. I went with the second option and closed my eyes as I wrote the check. And I never looked back!

From that day on, the freshman 15 had nothing on me! I lived for my morning workouts and I loved going to group classes. The gym definitely lost money on me and I was proud of myself that I took the leap and parted with the $600. I liked going to classes so much that after I graduated from college, I decided to get certified to teach TKB-Turbo Kickboxing. I was really fortunate to get hired at The Boxing Club in Point Loma pretty shortly after getting certified (like a week later) and I taught there for about a year before going to law school. It was there that I fell in love with teaching classes and working with people on a personal level with something that I felt passionate about.

Moving to Malibu was a bit of a challenge my first year of law school because the gym was not really nearby. Fortunately, Pepperdine is a university with facilities and group exercise and...HILLS, haha. It is too beautiful to not run outside here. There are few other tracks with an ocean view. Living in Santa Monica, I was back near a 24 hour fitness and so I quickly became a regular at the club and took a bunch of strength training, kickboxing, and pilates classes too.

Today, I am loving the options that Aaron and I have living in Malibu. Yes, I sometimes wish that we were closer to a 24 hour fitness or that we had more affordable options for yoga, pilates, and other cool workouts--but all in all, I can't complain. So, here are the ways I'm trying to "Sweat Once A Day" lately...

GYM
The Pepperdine gym is so-so. It's tiny but because I like to work out at 6am, I don't have too much of a problem getting the machines (ahem, treadmills) that I like when I want them. When I just want to veg out on a treaddy or an elliptical, the gym is a great option. I probably get to the gym once or twice a week.

YOGA
I am really fortunate that I found a Bikram Yoga studio somewhat nearby. The studio is in Agoura Hills which is about 15-20 minutes away--because of the time of day that I am driving there. I take a 6:30am class during the week and an 8:30am class most Saturdays. The studio is awesome and the 90 minute open-eye meditation, 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises practice in a heated (105 degrees) room is a perfect fit for my love for intense workouts. If there were more hours in the day, I would definitely try to practice once a day. I love how cleansing the workout is and it really does help connect my mind and my body in the way that only yoga can.

RUNNING
Although we're not training for anything right now, Aaron and I definitely don't want to ever have to start from square one if (WHEN?) we decide to do another big race. I try to run at least a 10K twice a week if I can squeeze it in. 10K is my favorite distance for a regular workout day.

SPIN!
Of course, I love to spin. I am currently teaching twice a week, Monday afternoons and Friday 6ams. I feel so fortunate to have two awesome classes a week--two opportunities to give people, hopefully, a good workout and a chance to make them realize how powerful they are! I love being able to encourage and challenge people during the one hour class. We recently started offering a Saturday morning class and so I have taught and will teach a few Saturdays this Spring. Spin is so much fun because of the music. I love putting routines together and it is the best compliment when students tell me that they love the music choices because I know that can make or break a workout for people!

MISCELLANEOUS
Insanity definitely falls under this category and just this week, Aaron and I have been trying to work in some of these awesome workouts. They are short, challenging, and there is really nothing like it. I love that in 40 minutes, I know I will have worked hard, burned calories, and toned some muscles! Aaron and I would both highly recommend this program to anyone who's serious about getting a great workout and getting into superior cardio shape.

So, what have you done to sweat today??

Have a healthy day!

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

4 months.

That's quite a record! I couldn't even tell you how many times I've said, "Wow, I really need to blog"...and now it's almost four months later. SO much has happened and I'd like to think that Aaron and I are finally at a place in our lives that we can be better about this blogging thing. Well, buckle up, here's a quick picture tour of what we've been up since October!

OCTOBER
We carved pumpkins with the Marrs (who are expecting baby Reid in about TWO weeks!):

We went to Aaron's Housing and Residence Life "Rocktoberfest" Halloween party as Wayne and Cassandra (snake included!)



NOVEMBER (aka, "running month")
We flew out to Odessa for a 10K and sweet Annie (Weaver) Parnell's beautiful wedding:


A week after the Odessa trip, we ran our first half marathon. It was extra special to run with one of my best friends in the whole world, Jackie Rae!


I had to travel to Seattle for work and Mom met me up there for 3 days of mother-daughter fun.




We spent Thanksgiving in San Francisco with my family and rounded off running month with a 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.

Mom's Christmas card photo shoot

Aaron and I took advantage of being in the city and drove across the bridge to walk through Muir Woods.



DECEMBER
Aaron was sworn into the California Bar!

Rather than attend his MBA graduation, Aaron and I took a quick trip to Austin for the weekend to see our dear friends Mitchell and Laura tie the knot. We stayed at the Stephen F. Austin and witnessed one of the most beautiful weddings. Before heading back home, we soaked up Austin--we went to the flagship Whole Foods store, visited the Capitol, had gospel brunch at Stubb's, and squeezed in a visit to the Austin Museum of Art downtown with our good friends, John and Ari. It was an awesome weekend.


Bluebell Ice Cream at the reception--yes please!


We spent the holidays in Odessa and have NO pictures?! What the heck. Fail.

JANUARY
I celebrated a sweet friend's birthday with a bunch of awesome girls (at El Cholo where we had our rehearsal dinner!)

I also ran a 10K for Pepperdine and placed third in my age division and got a MEDAL?!

I also helped host sweet Nicole's baby shower! So much fun.


I was the only non-pregnant hostess!

We were so lucky to have some time with our precious friends Randy and Christie who now live in Delaware with their 1-year old Micah!



FEBRUARY
Aaron sat for the Texas bar and Mom came to visit so I wouldn't have to be alone while he was gone. We had a great time--Mom helped me with a baby shower for my co-worker Rian and we had so much fun just hanging out. We shopped, ate, saw a
middle-school production of Annie...




Of course, the best part of the weekend was picking Aaron up from the airport AND having Mom and Aaron home at the same time...and hanging out with Bran, T, and T's nephew Noonie!



MARCH
March is off to a wonderful start. My sweet husband is done with school AND the bar and we're enjoying every second of his new found free time. This past weekend, we went to our fourth Law School Dinner and had a wonderful evening.

Our fave

Some of my awesome friends that I just happen to work with

I also got to see Jackie this past weekend! In December, Jackie moved to Aspen. Of course, I miss her but that is outweighed by how happy I am for her and the move. I didn't let her get away without leaving something here...on December 1, Aaron and I made our first BIG purchase as a married couple...we bought Jackie's 2005 Jeep Liberty! It has been such a blessing and we love it. It is so great to have a little bit of Jackie in LA and it's the car that I rode to our wedding in so it's already quite meaningful to us. I don't have a picture of it but it's black and WONDERFUL!


Whew. I think that's enough motivation for me to not let that much time pass without blogging again! Here's to being better at it!!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4