I got to sleep in for my last time for a while, unfortunately. I just love to sleep. I did some exercises, then around an early lunch time, I fixed this hearty healthy "brunch" to power me up for the day ahead and refuel from the night and workout. I told my mom it was great because I got almost everything in one bowl. Protein from egg whites and almond butter, fruit goodness from a banana, whole grains from cream of wheat and oatmeal, and healthy fats from the almond butter. Adding eggs was an idea I got from Carrots 'N' Cake blog.
Yum!
Saturday, January 4th, was the birthday of a little girl named Alicia who I sponsor through World Vision. When I was in 8th grade, my parents surprised me with tickets to a Casting Crowns concert as part of my birthday present. During intermission, this organization was the "entertainment" for a lack of better terms. It seemed like something I really wanted to do, and it is not too expensive. All it takes is $35 a month, and you get to help a child learn and grow in life in and in Christ. My parents and I decided that each month would come from my $20 of allowance and the other $15 from Mom's unlimited car wash pass. (Who needs that many car washes per month!? haha) Our letters have been coming back and forth pretty quickly recently. Above is the translated letter.
Here is the letter Alicia wrote herself back home in Rio Verde, Ecuador. Since I have been through Spanish I so far in school, I can read almost her entire letters without the translated one! That makes me so excited! There are a few words in some sentences that I don't know, but by using context clues, I can figure out the general message of the entire letter. I can't wait to hopefully one day get to talk to her in person.
Here she is! 12 year old Alicia!
Around 2 in the afternoon, Dad and I left for Cataloochee in North Carolina. It is fairly close, only around an hour and 15 minutes in traffic with nothing crazy holding it up, so we always get season passes. Conditions are iffy here, like most places that are mostly man-made snow, but Saturday (and many others) was one of those days when I just don't want to leave! Snow skiing is my #2 love, behind running. I've been a skier since I was 4, and I hope to do it the rest of my life! Going down the mountain on a good snow day is such a rush and another way to experience the beauty of God's nature.
This is a view from the top before we went in for dinner.
Now, this isn't the one I ate, but this picture is for explaining purposes. This is literally the best protein/granola bar I have ever tasted in my life. Olympia Granola had several flavors in the gift shop at Cataloochee, but the Turtle Mocha was calling my name...and still is. I want another one. They are quite pricey though. One bar is 2 hearty servings, but it is just too yummy to put down. This flavor had ingreedients like dark chocolate, honey, and espresso to give it amazing taste and health boosts, and also filled with tons of grains and nuts to get you going, too.
On the way home, I broke into some more dark chocolate. I always go for the dark because it's not too sweet, and it is healthier, too. Milky Way and Snickers both make wonderful dark chocolate versions that I like to keep on hand!
