tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020451807760562762024-03-14T03:22:38.836-05:00Christie KoesterMommy of Boys, Wifey, Health and Fitness Nut, Lover of Social Media, World Traveler and Writer living with Optic Neuritis and Pectus Excavatum.Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.comBlogger461125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-52287940217101367792018-08-28T06:59:00.000-05:002018-08-28T07:00:03.229-05:00The Power of Prayer<h2 style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
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When have you last witnessed the power of prayer? </span></h2>
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Sometimes I hold back on sharing things because they seem totally bizarre, but I'm witnessing how profound the power of prayer is right now, so I'm going to share my little experience I had a couple weeks ago because prayer is incredible and sometimes we need these reminders. </div>
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Now, I do realize our prayers don't always get answered and I'm not sure why other than something to do with the bigger picture, but when they do get answered, I think they are reminders that something we can't quite explain is going on. Something so profound... </div>
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i posted a couple weeks ago on Facebook that Nathan (our youngest) had a fever for 14 days. He FINALLY was on day 3 of being fever free. We thought we were in the clear. He had all the blood work done we could think of and things were coming back pretty OK. There was some elevation in white blood cells, but we didn't hear back from his doctor so assumed everything was OK. <span style="background-color: white;">Karl was gone in Milwaukee that night (Weezer calls!) and around 2 am Nathan walks into our room totally disoriented and screaming his head hurts. He was burning up. The fever was BACK and full force! He mentioned was going to get sick. My stomach dropped. WHAT. WAS. GOING. ON? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Automatically I started thinking meningitis. This bug just didn't want to leave us. I started planning up what I was going to do next. I was alone. Our neighbors were out of town. Karl was more than 6 hours away. My mother in law was babysitting our nieces. Do I bundle up and head to Children's? Was I being dramatic?? 14 days of a fever seems crazy - something we never have gone through in our house. And all symptoms were back. Was this something way worse? I gave Nathan some Tylenol and pulled him in close to me. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So I started to pray. And I prayed and prayed and prayed. I held our baby tight and kept repeating the same healing prayer over and over and over. Then I asked for a message. "God, TELL ME what I need to do. Send me a message. Please." </span><br />
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I must have fallen asleep. The last I looked the clock showed 4:26. All of a sudden I was in a dark room. Jackson and Nathan were with me and I was looking at my watch. It showed 3 a.m. I told them a nurse was calling me soon. Sure enough a phone on the wall rang and I picked it up. There, the most angelic voice spoke to me. "Christie, do not be afraid. Nathan is healthy. You are doing just fine. He has a rare virus he is fighting off and all you need to do is..."<br />
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I woke up. WHAT did I need to do??</div>
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Nathan was whispering in my ear. "Mom, I'm so schweaty. so so schweaty."</div>
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The bed was soaked. He was covered in sweat. And he was cool to touch. I immediately scanned his entire body over with my hands and eyes. I took his temp.</div>
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His fever broke. He was a cool 98.7 and was lying there like a sweet angel. And he's been fine ever since. In the meantime, his doctor finally called and I told him about Nathan getting a fever again and he mentioned that was quite concerning. He suggested we come in again. </div>
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We did. But this time I KNEW he was fine. I kept saying that to everyone when their levels of worry or anxiety would rise. HE IS FINE. Because I knew in my heart he was fine. </div>
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Sure enough... all numbers came back fine. </div>
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Has your prayer been answered recently? Or have you witnessed the power of prayer?</div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-45297880663922633372018-06-03T07:42:00.001-05:002018-06-03T07:43:31.512-05:00Have You Ever Wanted to Write a Book? <div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
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Kind of a random question, but have you ever wanted to write a book before??? </h2>
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Before kids, I had this dream growing that I needed to write a book. I remember when I was in the 6th grade, I climbed my favorite tree in the backyard and journaled how one day I was going to write an entire book. Back then it was going to be a book of poems, but still. It was a book.</div>
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When I entered college, I put a time capsule together in one of my classes and was instructed to open it a year <span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">later....but forgot about it. I found it buried in the back of my closet 5 years later. In there, was my dream written out how I was going to write a book. (I also was going to have five kids and live in the middle-of-nowhere Montana, buuuuuut, this was written by the girl who had never even changed a diaper before. <span class="_5mfr _47e3" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/f29/1.5/16/1f602.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;">š</span></span>)</span></div>
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So I Googled, "How to write a book". First step? Actually WRITE a book. So that is what I did. Every free second was devoted to writing, and in the end, I wrote a 365+ page book days before I had our first son. While I was writing, I took community writing classes, had a friend out in Hollywood offer advice, found an online critique group and even was able to find a few agents who actually wanted to read the entire thing. Exciting!! But no offers.</div>
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Part of me took that as maybe I wasn't cut out to write books. Part of me reverted back to the day my college volleyball coach told me I'd never amount to anything. And part of me was so exhausted after becoming a mom, that I decided maybe I'd come back to this dream later in life when things slowed down.</div>
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Then I went to California on a work trip last month. I stood in line to get a book signed by Ann Handley. Funny because I ran into her last August too at another conference. But it wasn't like I had read all her books or was her hugest fan. However, that dream was lit again. I was determined to talk to her. I was inspired that she had an actual book in her hands that she had written, not to mention a few more. But she did it. And that was all I needed to ignite my dream again of writing. Sometimes we need others out there to remind us it can be done.</div>
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I mean, have you ever met someone who has went from realizing their dreams to discovering their calling to getting to do their perfect dream job? It doesn't happen often. BUT we all have to start somewhere. Sure, our journeys can lead us in all different directions, but if the hustle is there, and we can be brave enough to listen to our dreams and keep trying.... one day the hard work pays off.</div>
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Keep dreaming, friends!</div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-23111492558487780962018-05-22T06:47:00.002-05:002018-05-22T06:47:56.853-05:00Is God Really Listening?? <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="ehiu4" data-offset-key="168eu-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="168eu-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Have I told you guys about the two times I seriously had a conversation with God and He listened? Like... I prayed and something magical happened days after? Maybe a coincidence, but I'm not so sure. You can decide for yourself, but I truly think God was listening.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ebhut-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">The first time was when I moved to Minnesota randomly several months after graduating college, had NO friends (yet), no plans and I was scared out of my mind, lonely and so very lost. I was in desperate need of a job. I had just paid my first ever $500 rent check and needed a paycheck before the next one came due. I remember dropping to my knees on the floor of the apartment I was living in and turning the pages of the local newspaper. I said, "God, please direct me to the perfect job for me. I need something that will change my life. I don't know what that looks like, but I trust you do."</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8srea-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">My finger landed on a job opportunity at a church of all places. I really didn't want to work at a church. After all, I had a "college degree". Didn't that mean I was supposed to work somewhere fancy? I applied and got a call shortly after for an interview. When I walked in for my interview, I KNEW I was supposed to be there. I don't know how to explain it, but everything in my being told me THIS is what I prayed for. I also KNEW I was going to get the job. And I did. And I worked there for almost 4 years. I made incredible friendships, developed a deeper relationship with God, was able to do mission work in Peru and learned a lot about the power of grace and forgiveness. Not to mention, I was able to spend a lot of quality time with my bigger bro too since we ended up moving right next to each other in town homes for most of our 20s. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="co88a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">The second time I remember praying and God answering was when it was time to leave my position at the church and spread my wings. I didn't want to leave a place I felt so safe in, but something was telling me it was time. Again, I opened up the local paper, prayed that God would direct me to the right opportunity for me. I applied for ONE job. One. They were on their third round of interviews out of 600+ applicants and I sneaked in at the tail end. I walked in and told myself, "I'm getting this job," which was SUCH a long shot. And oddly enough, I got the job. It wasn't my ideal job by any means and my position ended up being eliminated less than 2 years being there. But you know who I met at this place? My future husband. And we began our beautiful journey together. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="funft-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">These two events in my life remain as constant reminders to me that the magic seems to happen in the uncomfortable moments. The times when we feel stuck, maybe even alone, but there is this nudge. What is that and what happens when we listen to it?</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="av3k-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I think God wants us to remember Him. I think these times require us to be brave and vulnerable with our true thoughts and feelings...and then let Him know that we are READY (even if we're still scared) for Him take us on the wildest and coolest rides of our lives. And when the timing is right, He will.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="av3k-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">When has God answered one of your prayer? How did that change you? </span></div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-79785258198905649402017-10-12T06:33:00.003-05:002017-10-12T06:33:37.419-05:00A shot of pulp, keeps the doctor away<h2>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, this was perfect timing, I
suppose. Weāre not only working through the sudden loss of Karlās (my husband)
dad, but also struggling to keep all the back-to-school bugs away. Life keeps
going, doesnāt it? </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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heeerrrreee! I received an email from Pete this past week saying he enjoyed my
blog and my passion for living out a healthy lifestyle and was curious if I'd
be up for trying his new product Pulp Story Juice. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">A super nice company
</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pulpstory/" target="_blank">@PulpStoryJuice</a><span style="background-color: white;"> in California came across my blog and shared in an email that
they produce a cool new health product and thought I might be interested in
trying.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They figured with my passion for health
I might be up for giving their shotsā¦.well, a shot. I was thinking maybe one or
two. I wasnāt thinking Iād get a whole cooler worth! SWEET!!!</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x1Ma8kbZgIo/WdPHBMhixVI/AAAAAAAAcpA/zyCQ74Q2zCQk-he9ldELAf1ZMGXraXS1gCEwYBhgL/s1600/21753435_1461468903907384_6147268001766149852_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x1Ma8kbZgIo/WdPHBMhixVI/AAAAAAAAcpA/zyCQ74Q2zCQk-he9ldELAf1ZMGXraXS1gCEwYBhgL/s400/21753435_1461468903907384_6147268001766149852_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My first @pulpstory juice this morning! Gave it a go first thing. HUGE
fan of the taste. Excited to have a little shot of this before my workout every
morning for the next month. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">They earned my respect and grabbed
my attention right away. <a href="https://pulpstoryjuice.com/" target="_blank">Pulp Story Juice</a> was paying attention! They know
I like eating clean and minimally processed foods, and these juice shots are
straight from the source and then cold pressed to extract all vitami</span><span class="textexposedshow">ns, minerals, and flavors
without adding oxidizing heat. Nothing strange added to it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been doubling these up with my
Shakeology to keep my immune system strong since I keep getting sprayed with
sneezes and coughs. So far, Iāve stayed in the clear and I gave both boys the pineapple
flavored ones to split knowing how well pineapple helps with their coughing at
night. Two thumbs up from them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background: white;">I'm ALWAYS open to trying products
that are as natural as can be. Pete, the developer, found a Turmeric
manufacturer that processes the spice in a unique way, harnessing its full
medicina</span><span class="textexposedshow">l properties in the form of a healthy juice shot. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5MP65ynY12c/WdPHBbNuAFI/AAAAAAAAcpM/xhcf4noW6vYg0FLHiOyi6gINyzaizMYIACEwYBhgL/s1600/21992763_1469792059741735_2610363799818271073_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5MP65ynY12c/WdPHBbNuAFI/AAAAAAAAcpM/xhcf4noW6vYg0FLHiOyi6gINyzaizMYIACEwYBhgL/s400/21992763_1469792059741735_2610363799818271073_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of us like it spicy :) </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="textexposedshow"><span class="textexposedshow">And since Turmeric is such an incredible natural
healer and with me having inflammation in my optic nerve, he generously shared
his products benefits with me. Just in case you have been under a rock, <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="background-color: white;">Curcumin is one of the most active and bioavailable compounds in turmeric root, indicated for treating depression, anxiety and dementia. For instance, though the mechanisms arenāt clear, studies increasingly point to turmericās role in preventing and reducing the effects of Alzheimerās. (</span><span style="background-color: white;">Mishra S and Palanivelu K. The effect of curcumin (turmeric) on Alzheimer's disease: An overview.)</span></span><br />
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I started to incorporate a
different flavor right after my workouts in the morning and felt like I was
starting the day off in such a healthy, positive way. It was harder to make bad
choices, ya know? Why ruin a good thing?</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ex3CjTud_R8/WdPHBIRlUxI/AAAAAAAAcpI/_hCQUHmwrSMr2A804U29VWdgoRyChUi2ACEwYBhgL/s1600/21199544_1449593028428305_7541353388037286418_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ex3CjTud_R8/WdPHBIRlUxI/AAAAAAAAcpI/_hCQUHmwrSMr2A804U29VWdgoRyChUi2ACEwYBhgL/s400/21199544_1449593028428305_7541353388037286418_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry Poppins might have been my fave! Especially enjoyed out of a nice glass</td></tr>
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<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">Though the days have been tough
over here, I do have peace of mind knowing Iām pouring something healthy into body
ā something it needs during this season of life.</span></span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">I did end up getting a cold, but I was able to bounce back quicker than I ever have before. With the combination of self-care (yoga, meditation, Epsom salt baths), a healthy diet and proper rest, our bodies respond well.</span></span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light" , sans-serif;">What are some trips and tricks that work for you when it comes to preventative care?</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "calibri light", sans-serif;">Have you guys heard of Pulp Story
Juice yet?? Who would be willing to try? </span></div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-24068383762689710122017-10-05T06:00:00.000-05:002017-10-05T15:53:59.617-05:00Facts of Life<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<b>Words to Live By</b></h2>
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Wanted to share a post I read that I bet you guys can relate to just as much as I can.</div>
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"As we grow older, and hence wiser, we slowly realize that wearing a $300 or a $30.00 watch - - they both tell the same time.</div>
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Whether we carry a $300 or a $30.00 wallet/handbag - - the amount of money inside is the same.</div>
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Whether we drink a bottle of $300 or $10 wine - - the hangover is the same.</div>
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Whether the house we live in is 300 or 3000 sq. ft. - - loneliness is the same.</div>
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You will realize, your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world. Therefore, I hope you realize, when you have mates, buddies and old friends, brothers and sisters, who you chat with, laugh with, talk with, have sung songs with, talk about north-south-east-west or heaven and earth - That is true happiness!!</div>
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<b>FIVE UNDENIABLE FACTS OF LIFE:</b><br />1. Don't educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be Happy. So when they grow up they will know the value of things not the price.</div>
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2: Best awarded words: "Eat your food as your medicines. Otherwise you have to eat medicines as your food."</div>
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3: The One who loves you will never leave you because even if there are 100 reasons to give up he or she will find one reason to hold on.</div>
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4: There is a big difference between a human being and being human. Only a few really understand it.</div>
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5. You are loved when you are born. You will be loved when you die. In between, You have to manage!</div>
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6: If you just want to Walk Fast, Walk Alone! But if you want to Walk Far, Walk Together!</div>
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<b>SIX BEST DOCTORS IN THE WORLD:</b><br />1. Sunlight<br />2. Rest<br />3. Exercise<br />4. Diet<br />5. Self Confidence and<br />6. Friends</div>
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Maintain them in all stages of Life and enjoy a healthy life. The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for."</div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-4534497525730986112017-10-03T06:27:00.001-05:002017-10-03T06:27:22.076-05:00Morning Devotional - Spending Time with God<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
When do you spend time with God each day?</h2>
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If you're anything like me, I'm sure you're feeling pressed for time. Maybe there are not enough hours in your day. Maybe you can barely workout or even get a few hours of sleep a night because you're trying to fit everything in. You might be running around with a scowl on your face because you're so focused on getting everything done. Maybe, just maybe, you're even missing out on the amazing things going on right in front of you just so you get everything done.</div>
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Stop for a second. <i>Why are you doing this to yourself?</i></div>
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I remember shortly after our second son was born, I was stretched beyond thin. Not only did both my grandparents pass away within 6 months of each other, my other grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then so was my mom, and I was working full-time, nursing, pumping, juggling a couple jobs, caring for two boys, managing a household and trying to be a great wife. To say I was tired was an understatement. I might have a slight problem asking for help.</div>
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But I'm also learning that we go through seasons and I was in a tough one. All of a sudden, Nathan started to sleep through the night and we gained an extra hour with daylight savings ending. I used that hour for me. I headed to the basement. I sat in silence, meditated and had conversations with God. I felt the overwhelm start to trickle away day by day. I became stronger and more at peace and started to own every day with grace and zest. I changed.</div>
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The more you have to do. And the busier you are. The more you really need to spend time with God. If you give God your time, He will give it back to you. And wouldn't having more time in your day be wonderful?</div>
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Remember, God is in charge of time. He knows how much you need to accomplish the things you really need to do. He can protect and help you manage it if you will spend time with Him first. Stop trying to "fit" God into your schedule. Make a decision to put him first. Then work the rest of your schedule around him.</div>
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Life does not have to overwhelm you or catch you off guard. Prepare yourself for the challenges you will face each day by trusting Him with your time.</div>
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When can you find time for God today? </div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-6980427794834092152017-10-02T22:26:00.002-05:002017-10-02T22:30:25.555-05:00Spirits and Orbs? Is there such a thing?<h2>
Is it really just a glare in the photo or is someone with us?</h2>
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<b>Have you ever looked at your photos closely? </b></h3>
<b>Ever notice an orb in them before?</b><br />
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What is an orb? <i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In photography, an orb is a typically circular artifact on an image, created as a result of flash photography illuminating a mote of dust or other particle. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Orbs</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> are especially common with modern compact and ultra-compact digital cameras.</span></i><br />
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Most people know I love the sun. I love it's warmth. How it feels on my face. The brightness. It brings hope in my heart and so much promise for the day. So when my husband Karl came across the photo I took of the sunshine coming through the trees and leaves in a post I put up on Facebook, he said..."WHAT IS THAT??" And pointed to the green orb.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUa6FGEcK5U/WdMBKGFhv3I/AAAAAAAAcoU/zQWbLFFslUEU_RBfAY0J4ApfO2kLcNNBwCLcBGAs/s1600/Adobe%2BSpark%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUa6FGEcK5U/WdMBKGFhv3I/AAAAAAAAcoU/zQWbLFFslUEU_RBfAY0J4ApfO2kLcNNBwCLcBGAs/s400/Adobe%2BSpark%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The moments I was thinking of Jim and felt such warmth and beauty</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On Saturday, Karl, his mom, myself and the boys went out to the land. This is where his dad loved to be and hunt in his earlier days at the cabin. So after walking about at the cabin and being reminded in every corner that Jim was not coming back, we grabbed a couple beers, off-roaded in my late father-in-law's truck through an overgrown field and set out on a walk through the woods. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was beautiful and peaceful, but sad at the same time. Especially when my mother in law stopped and said how much Jim would love to be there. I could feel her heart ache. Mine did too. We stood in silence for a while. The sun was at the perfect angle and its light was cascading through the leaves and branches trying to cut through any darkness it could find. I remember feeling Jim there, but I have been feeling him everywhere lately. So I do what I do best when I feel moved by something and I snapped a photo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That is the photo Karl looked at. He told me there was something wrong with my phone and there was some junk on it. I showed him other photos. No orbs. We decided it must be the sunshine and reflection. So he asked to see another photo I took of the sun. There was the green orb. And another. The green orb. And so one. And then he asked to see a sun photo before his dad died. I showed him. No orb. I showed him another and another. No green orb. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5lbSqIs2syE/WdMC6ZRE9YI/AAAAAAAAcog/ZiBinnBLaJ4Z4Irvekwy7t4xEeguVT33gCLcBGAs/s1600/Adobe%2BSpark%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5lbSqIs2syE/WdMC6ZRE9YI/AAAAAAAAcog/ZiBinnBLaJ4Z4Irvekwy7t4xEeguVT33gCLcBGAs/s400/Adobe%2BSpark%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just my every day sunshine pics...no orbs included and when Jim was still here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Some people believe that </span>orbs are more than dust particles or drops of moisture on the lens<span style="background-color: white;">--they are proof of guardian angels, captured on camera. When these "spirit orbs" or "angel orbs" appear near a single person or a group of people in a photo, it's a sign that they are blessed with the goodness, positive energy, and protection of angels. When orbs appear in a particular location, it's also a sign that angels are hovering nearby and the location is particularly blessed.</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>Green</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In spiritual practice, green is associated with the heart. It is also associated with nature. Green orbs are sometimes thought to be an indication of the presence of a human spirit, as opposed to one that was never on Earth in human form. Likewise, green orbs may represent love or oneness with nature.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know. Could be a dust particle or refraction of light on my phone lens. Or maybe...just maybe...Jim is with us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What do you think?? Am I totally losing my mind over here?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-89971254342270754452017-09-06T05:30:00.000-05:002017-09-06T12:02:52.876-05:00Welcome to Kindergarten<h2>
Jackson enters Kindergarten</h2>
I canāt even believe this day is here. Wasnāt I just blogging
about my sweet baby boy and how I wanted to hide in the Kohlās Department store
clothes racks because I was so exhausted and shocked by motherhood and all the
responsibilities?<br />
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Where did that life go???<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time truly does fly. And motherhood definitely changed me in more ways than I could ever imagine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here we are.... Kindergarten.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FBKrRSwJgek/WbAnkm4rqbI/AAAAAAAAcjA/IGGZUbSGWgAYUkPExdq7hxVeXKlDA7q0ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170905_082524_487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FBKrRSwJgek/WbAnkm4rqbI/AAAAAAAAcjA/IGGZUbSGWgAYUkPExdq7hxVeXKlDA7q0ACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_20170905_082524_487.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There were nerves leading up to the big day, and I think
both boys sensed it. They seem to read me like a book. And speaking of books, I was doing my best to
get as many library books into Jacksonās hands as I could that talked about starting
school. I also would share stories of how much I loved it as a little girl and
talked up how much fun heād have making friends. We would pray about it every
night and Iād let Jackson know that Jesus would be in his heart the entire
time. There was no need to worry about anything!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackson still wasnāt so sure. It took a LONG time for him to
warm up to the idea of going to school. He really enjoyed his routine;
especially have Mondayās with grandma and Fridays with Mom and Nathan. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vio0VdT3cpk/WbAn-9nNsyI/AAAAAAAAcjQ/_nrPD0tKwHMSXNwkgW2Hi12Kjdka-DqHACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170905_082640_264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vio0VdT3cpk/WbAn-9nNsyI/AAAAAAAAcjQ/_nrPD0tKwHMSXNwkgW2Hi12Kjdka-DqHACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_20170905_082640_264.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Iām still not sure how this is going to fall into place, but
I know it will. It obviously did for me and Iām not sure what benefit holding
him back another year would do. He is ready. He knows it. I know it. But change
is HARD. What tugs at my heart the most is not being there after school is out.
I wish he could hop on the bus, ride it home and get home around 3. Instead he
has to wait until I come and get him at school after 5. Iām working my booty
off to make this happen in the little pockets of time I have right now and also
extending grace and forgiveness to myself over and over again. I have to trust
that for some reason God wants it to be this way and perhaps when the timing is
right, everything will fall into place. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our morning started a bit crazy and we figured weād have all
kinds of extra time. We heard the bus would be late, but it was a minute
EARLY!!! There were nerves. No hugs and I couldnāt even figure out how to run
my video camera on my phone. I film myself every morning working out, you think
I was an expert, but EVERYTHING slowed down. I watched my baby get on the bus,
wave and drive away. He looked so small, yet so big. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54-rvwiioiw/WbAnqencjgI/AAAAAAAAcjE/-EAjB0r9EKEHl36RFg8uZUotxlAaLuW3wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170905_081730_421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-54-rvwiioiw/WbAnqencjgI/AAAAAAAAcjE/-EAjB0r9EKEHl36RFg8uZUotxlAaLuW3wCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_20170905_081730_421.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Karl and I walked inside. He grabbed a Kleenex. Our eyes
met. I couldnāt keep it in and we grabbed each other, hugged and sobbed our
eyes out. Nathan was confused and latched on to Karlās leg. There werenāt any
words. Itās like we both just knew. Time is out of our control and we just let
our little guy goā¦to achieve great things and there wasnāt more we could do. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I drove Nathan to our in-home daycare. The ride was
different. Quiet. Jackson wasnāt asking questions. A pit grew in my stomach.
Change. The leaves were turning colors. More change. Nathan started to whine
and askā¦āWhere is Jackson?ā Change. Change. Change. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Drop off went exceptionally well. Maybe because Nathan also
had new shoes like Jackson. He had a Batman backpack he picked out with a
folder and notebook just like brother. He too was going to start school.
Pre-School. No wonder people have more than 2 kids. Time truly goes fast and
they are so much fun to watch turn into amazing human beings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JHapaFVBqUQ/WbAnuqUP_dI/AAAAAAAAcjI/YrewTyArboUCXQa1B2cOAoz6rNeeCjDVgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170905_082501_651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JHapaFVBqUQ/WbAnuqUP_dI/AAAAAAAAcjI/YrewTyArboUCXQa1B2cOAoz6rNeeCjDVgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_20170905_082501_651.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I stared at the clock while at work. I checked in to see how
Nathan was doing since he had been acting out SO MUCH at home. TERRIBLE
tantrums and meltdowns. Spitting, kicking, biting, pinching, SCREAMING. It was
horrible. I almost ran away once because I didnāt feel fit to be his mom
anymore. Itās been tough. But like I said before, I think the boys could sense
the change I was feeling coming our way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I even emailed Jacksonās teacherā¦ How was he? I refreshed my
email maybe a 50 times. OKā¦100 or so. FINALLY, she wrote back that he was doing
great and taking everything in stride. DUH! I knew he would be fineā¦.<o:p></o:p></div>
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FINALLY I was FREE from work and flew to daycare to get
Nathan. He was a total charmer. Handled the day great and was counting leaves
when I whisked him up. He had a project waiting for me and couldnāt wait to
share. āI got messy, mom. My hands.ā <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A3T8nMbVr_4/WbAolX7a47I/AAAAAAAAcjY/c4uQjPv1iJ0eT-WO6P48Up5X2fSBxttQwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170906_114815_947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A3T8nMbVr_4/WbAolX7a47I/AAAAAAAAcjY/c4uQjPv1iJ0eT-WO6P48Up5X2fSBxttQwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_20170906_114815_947.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Thenā¦on our drive to get Jackson, Nathan and I had a full on
conversation. Nathan talks!?!? He can speak in full sentences?? When did this
happen?? Oh yeah, Jackson does ALL the talking usually. And they are always
together. Nathan looked thrilled that he was able to talk to me and I was
listening. Maybe this adjustment is a GOOD thing for all of us? <o:p></o:p></div>
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We both ran in to get Jackson. Nathan was so excited to see
his brother waving through the window of the cafeteria. I couldnāt get a hold of
Jackson fast enough. As I buckled him in, he told me he really liked school a
lot and wasnāt so sure about the after school stuff though. I felt relief and
pride. Maybe things would be OK? <o:p></o:p></div>
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āMom. Nobody got sent to the principal today from our class.
Especially me.ā Jackson smiled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Whew. Thatās a good day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xKWh2ZHJDq4/WbAn1tIBLbI/AAAAAAAAcjM/cPaB1wPlMaQ8eXrblx7_0lWppbX93e5RQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170906_112839_467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xKWh2ZHJDq4/WbAn1tIBLbI/AAAAAAAAcjM/cPaB1wPlMaQ8eXrblx7_0lWppbX93e5RQCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_20170906_112839_467.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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He loved playing outside (went out 3 times and played with
our neighbor during one of the breaks), thought it was funny he got breakfast
in the morning, is really interested in using the IPAD to order is hot lunch
and made one friend who sits next to him. Most importantly, his teacher is
NICE. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hereās to an AWESOME first year!<o:p></o:p></div>
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How did your first days go this year? </div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-75810261279932714832017-03-26T16:52:00.001-05:002017-03-26T16:59:21.266-05:00Healthy Stuffed Italian Stuffed Shells<h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px;">
And 21 Day Fix Approved!</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LSxxleOYVJ0/WNg36oosnUI/AAAAAAAAbxE/48GsCsKrczEVCUA3anLVNVhwBzol5DO4ACLcB/s1600/14100332_1091561037564841_8175622416360469799_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LSxxleOYVJ0/WNg36oosnUI/AAAAAAAAbxE/48GsCsKrczEVCUA3anLVNVhwBzol5DO4ACLcB/s400/14100332_1091561037564841_8175622416360469799_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 Day Fix Stuffed Italian Shells</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px;">
This version of the stuffed shells replaces a lot of the mozzarella cheese that typical recipes contain with ricotta cheese in the filling. Itās still yummy and satisfying and a great recipe the whole family will love!</div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: "Roboto Slab", sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">
Ingredients</h2>
<ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">25 Jumbo Shells (whole wheat if you can find them!)</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">1 tbsp olive oil</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">1 lb ground beef (or turkey)</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">1 small onion, diced</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">2 garlic cloves, minced</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">1 cup ricotta cheese</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">2 cups fresh spinach, chopped</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">2 eggs</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">2 cups pasta sauce</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">1 cup shredded mozzarella</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: circle;">salt and pepper</li>
</ul>
<h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: "Roboto Slab", sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">
Directions</h2>
<ol style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 26px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: decimal;">Cook shells until el dante and set aside</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: decimal;">Heat oil over skillet and add garlic and saute for a few min. Add ground meat and onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Set aside to cool.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: decimal;">Mix ricotta cheese, spinach and eggs in bowl.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: decimal;">Once meat mixture is cooled, add to ricotta mixture.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: decimal;">Pour 1/2 cup of pasta sauce in bottom of 9Ć13 dish.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: decimal;">Stuff 25 pasta shells with roughly 2 tablespoons of mixture and place in baking dish. Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the shells and top with mozzarella cheese.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: decimal;">Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven at 400 for 30-35 minutes.</li>
</ol>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 26px; padding: 0px;">
**21 Day Fix Containers (per 5 shells): 1 Yellow, 1 Red, 0.5 Purple, 0.5 Green, 1 Blue ***</div>
<div class="ssba ssba-wrap" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Droid Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">
<div style="box-sizing: border-box;">
Like this recipe? Share it! Or find more recipes like this one on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/coachchristiekoester/" target="_blank">LIKE</a> page. <span style="color: #555555; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply </span><a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/w4aqd630mrekg2/" style="color: #02812c; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; outline: none;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #555555; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">!</span></div>
</div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-77103999303512431732016-09-01T06:00:00.000-05:002016-09-01T12:50:59.574-05:00Kid-Approved Dinner with Hidden Veggies<h2>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">If they can't see them...</span></h2>
<b style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Ground Chicken Meatloaf Muffins with Hidden Veggies</b><br />
<b style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></b>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I wasn't sure I'd be able to sneak these past my two boys (4 and 2) but I did! I stuffed the meatloaf muffins with carrots and zucchini leftover from the garden. You can use any leftover veggies you have around the house!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oOjrzH2VAtk/V8hpuFwHYyI/AAAAAAAAbcE/GCK8lqQyZSY2lLdIN9CCIWp3WCeAqvKMQCLcB/s1600/14117851_1093277824059829_6972503861179810772_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oOjrzH2VAtk/V8hpuFwHYyI/AAAAAAAAbcE/GCK8lqQyZSY2lLdIN9CCIWp3WCeAqvKMQCLcB/s400/14117851_1093277824059829_6972503861179810772_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground Chicken Meatloaf Muffins with hidden veggies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">1 pound ground chicken</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />1/3 cup oatmeal<br />1/3 cup Parmesan cheese<br />1 egg or 2<br />1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce<br />1/2 teaspoon garlic powder<br />1/2 tsp smoked paprika<br />Salt and pepper<br />A couple of handfuls of Ninja'd carrots and zucchini<br /><br /><b>Directions:</b><br />Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<br /><br />Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, but only use about Ā¼ of the tomato sauce in the meat mixture.<br /><br />Press the meat into the muffin cups (you should be able to get eight to 10 out of this amount of meat).<br /><br />Top with a dollop of tomato sauce on each one.<br />Cook for 30-35 minutes.<br /><br />Serve two per person.<br /><br />Nutritional Info: The calorie count is about 110 per muffin. (Pretty good if you ask me!)<br /><br /><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">ENJOY and let me know what you think!! </span><span style="color: #555555; line-height: 19.32px;">If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/coachchristiekoester/" style="color: #02812c; line-height: 19.32px; outline: none;" target="_blank">LIKE</a><span style="color: #555555; line-height: 19.32px;"> my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply </span><a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/w4aqd630mrekg2/" style="color: #02812c; line-height: 19.32px; outline: none;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #555555; line-height: 19.32px;">!</span></span>Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-19918391650827155232016-08-30T06:00:00.000-05:002016-08-30T12:00:50.716-05:00Healthy Stuffed Italian Shells<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Quick Healthy Italian Dinner</h3>
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Holy moly. These shells are amazing!! If you boil ahead of time, it's a pretty quick dinner!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuffed shells</td></tr>
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1 lb ground chix breast<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />1 16 oz cottage cheese<br />1 pack of organic chopped spinach<br />1 bag of authentic large pasta shells<br />1 jar of favorite organic pasta sauce<br />1 TBS Penzeys Tuscan Sunset Seasoning<br />1 cup fresh mozzarella cheese</span></div>
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Preheat oven to 400</div>
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Boil shells (the authentic ones should take around 20 minutes). Cool.</div>
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Heat ground chix in pan until cooked through and season with seasoning. Mix in a bowl with cottage cheese and thawed spinach.</div>
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Poor a little sauce to cover bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Stuff shells and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 2 minutes more.</div>
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ENJOY and let me know what you think!! <span style="color: #555555; line-height: 19.32px;">If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/coachchristiekoester/" style="color: #02812c; line-height: 19.32px; outline: none;" target="_blank">LIKE</a><span style="color: #555555; line-height: 19.32px;"> my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply </span><a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/w4aqd630mrekg2/" style="color: #02812c; line-height: 19.32px; outline: none;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #555555; line-height: 19.32px;">!</span></div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-50500956068959113432016-08-24T06:00:00.000-05:002016-08-24T09:15:36.895-05:00Mexican Chicken Zucchini Boats <span style="font-size: large;">Taking Taco Tuesdays to a New Level</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">These boats are a healthier spin on chicken burritos, swapping in nutritious zucchini for flour tortillas. A typical </span><a href="https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/5963?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=35&offset=&sort=&qlookup=flour+tortilla" style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; outline: 0px !important; text-decoration: none !important; transition: 0.2s;" target="_blank">flour tortilla</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> contains 25 grams of carbohydrates, 458 milligrams of sodium, and not much else. One zucchini contains 10 grams of carbs, 26 milligrams of sodium, as well as vitamins A, C, and K, and minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Using zucchini as the vessel is also convenient way to watch your portions without having to think too hard: 1 boat = 1 serving.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3iHzr-tXPt4/V72qxqifpVI/AAAAAAAAba0/3q_duGMP8MwgI-SQpH1kzro1KpxXPrrEQCLcB/s1600/14022340_10154312085071368_5799838154404730403_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3iHzr-tXPt4/V72qxqifpVI/AAAAAAAAba0/3q_duGMP8MwgI-SQpH1kzro1KpxXPrrEQCLcB/s400/14022340_10154312085071368_5799838154404730403_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Chicken Zucchini Boats</td></tr>
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<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 22.5px; margin: 10px 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;">
<span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;">Total Time:</span> 1 hr. 10 min.</h2>
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<span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;">Prep Time:</span> 20 min.<br /><span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;">Cooking Time:</span> 50 min.<br /><span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;">Yield:</span> 8 servings, 1 boat each</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;">21-Day Fix Containers:</span> 1 Green, 1 Red, 1/2 Blue, 1/2 tsp</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;">Ingredients</span></div>
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4 large zucchini, cut in half lengthwise<br />4 tsp. olive oil, divided use<br />1 medium onion, finely chopped<br />2 cloves garlic, finely chopped<br />1 cup tomato sauce, no sugar added<br />2 Tbsp. tomato paste, no sugar added<br />1 Tbsp. ground chili powder (or 1Ā½ tsp. chili powder and 1Ā½ tsp. ancho chili powder)<br />1 tsp. ground cumin<br />Ā½ tsp. ground paprika<br />3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast<br />1ā cups corn kernels<br />1 cup shredded cheddar (or Monterey jack) cheese<br />2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro<br />1 medium tomato, chopped<br />2 green onions, thinly sliced</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Preparation</span></div>
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1. Preheat oven to 400Āŗ F.<br />2. Using a spoon (or melon baller), scoop pulp out of zucchini to make boats. Place on a large baking sheet. Brush with 1 tsp. oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender-crisp.<br />3. While zucchini is baking, heat remaining 3 tsp. oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.<br />4. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until onion is translucent.<br />5. Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.<br />6. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.<br />7. Add chicken and corn; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from heat.<br />8. Evenly spoon chicken mixture into zucchini boats. Evenly top with cheese.<br />9. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cheese has melted.<br />Sprinkle evenly with cilantro, tomato, and green onions; serve immediately</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">ENJOY!! And please come back let me know what you think!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/coachchristiekoester/" style="line-height: 19.32px; outline: none;" target="_blank">LIKE</a><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply </span><a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/w4aqd630mrekg2/" style="line-height: 19.32px; outline: none;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">!</span></div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-7489415130929775542016-08-22T06:00:00.000-05:002016-08-22T08:57:49.267-05:00QUINOA GREEK SALAD<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Perfect quick salad for an event</h2>
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This weekend we were invited to a home brew party. Luckily I had all these ingredients at home thanks to our garden. This takes 10 minutes to whip up and is usually a hit. We'll see what these home brewers think! Think it'll pair well with beer? We'll see...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hPJWuhgYqWE/V7sENhmwnqI/AAAAAAAAbZw/oLHW61f5xZ8crAhOjOhYDj9_Gfh2cU1HQCLcB/s1600/quinoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hPJWuhgYqWE/V7sENhmwnqI/AAAAAAAAbZw/oLHW61f5xZ8crAhOjOhYDj9_Gfh2cU1HQCLcB/s400/quinoa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quinoa Greek Salad in 10 minutes</td></tr>
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QUINOA GREEK SALAD</div>
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1 cup quinoa (recommended: Bob's Red Mill)<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />1Ā½ cup vegetable broth<br />1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded (if preferred) and diced<br />8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved<br />1 tablespoons dried dill<br />1 tsp dried oregano<br />1 cup kalamata olives, halved<br />4 ounces feta, crumbled or cubed<br />Ā¼ cup extra virgin olive oil<br />Ā¼ cup red wine vinegar<br />Ā½ teaspoon kosher salt<br />Ā½ teaspoon pepper<br />1 teaspoon lemon juice</span></div>
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In a medium saucepan stir together quinoa and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir once, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.</div>
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Then fluff with a fork.</div>
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In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked quinoa, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and feta.</div>
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In a small bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, dill, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Pour over salad and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least a half hour to allow flavors to meld.</div>
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ENJOY!! And please come back let me know what you think!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 19.32px;">If you want more recipes like this one, be sure to </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/coachchristiekoester/" style="line-height: 19.32px;" target="_blank">LIKE</a><span style="line-height: 19.32px;"> my page. If you're interested in receiving you FREE copy of my 5-Day Clean Eating Plan or if you want to participate in my next FREE Clean Eating bootcamp, apply </span><a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/w4aqd630mrekg2/" style="line-height: 19.32px;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="line-height: 19.32px;">!</span></div>
</div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-16091329321293167502016-07-08T06:00:00.000-05:002016-07-08T19:46:44.574-05:00Minnesota Staycation for Families with Young Kids<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Staycation with Young Kids in Minnesota</b></span><br />
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<h3>
Fun things to do close to home</h3>
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Here are a few of our favorite adventures to do close to home and that don't cost an arm and leg.</div>
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<b>1. Berry Picking</b><br />
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We have a few favorites in the area. This year the May frost destroyed any chance at cherry picking but we have been able to get in Strawberries and Blueberries!<br />
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We love <a href="http://www.littlehillberryfarm.com/" target="_blank">Little Hill Berry Farm</a> for our blueberries<br />
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<b>2. Find an ice cream shop you haven't been to and dig in</b><br />
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We like to find local ice cream shops since they seem to have all kinds of fun flavors. We enjoyed a delicious kid's cone at <a href="http://www.cowinterrupted.com/" target="_blank">Cow Interrupted</a> in Farmington.<br />
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<b>3. Set up a Tent in the Backyard</b><br />
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We haven't done full on camping yet, but the boys will find tons of entertainment when we set up the tent outside. Daddy and Jackson even spent a night out there together and it went great! Next up...the open woods:)<br />
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<b>4. Set up a Slip and Slide and join in</b><br />
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Need I say more? Bring on the giggles! Even better when the PARENTS join in!<br />
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<b>5. Fill up a Kiddie Pool</b><br />
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The fun can last for hours. Bring out some squirt guns and it gets better.<br />
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<b>6. Go Fishing</b><br />
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There are TONS of lakes around Minnesota. Test your kid's patience but see the pure joy when something bites their line!<br />
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<b>7. Find a new trail to take the bike on, catch bugs and critters along the way and have a picnic</b><br />
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We love taking the bike out and discovering new trails in Minnesota! The boys LOVE when we pack a lunch too and set up a picnic in front a park so we can play and then refuel.<br />
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<b>8. Discover a new park</b><br />
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We love checking out a new park every Friday and discussing what we liked about that particular park after. Leads to fun adventures and great conversation!<br />
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<b>9. Explore a new Splash Pad</b><br />
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There are a TON of fun Splash Pads in Minnesota. One or our favorites is at the Minnesota Zoo!<br />
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<b>10. Go Kayaking or Canoeing</b><br />
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We heard that we could rent a canoe for $8 at <a href="https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/parks/Pages/summer-equipment-rental.aspx" target="_blank">Lebanon Hills</a> and decided to give it a try. It was AWESOME and so much fun! We'll definitely be doing this again.<br />
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What are some of YOUR favorite adventures to do with your kids that is close to home?<br />
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For more ideas like these or for healthy recipes and health tips, please be sure to follow my LIKE page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/coachchristiekoester/" target="_blank">Coach Christie Koester</a>!<br />
<br />Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-50689712058629064492016-05-29T21:26:00.000-05:002016-05-29T21:26:32.931-05:00Week Three and FINAL RESULTS of the Ultimate Reset<span style="font-size: large;">Down 9 pounds. Down from a Size 6 to a Size 4</span><br />
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Wow. 21 days of total CLEAN eating and I'm down nine pounds. I had eight pairs of size 4 pants buried in my closet that all fit now. What an incredible feeling to slip those on. But most importantly I really feel great and that is what I was going for!<br />
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There was ONE night during the final week where I had so much energy surging through me that I could not sleep. It was almost like a drank a pot of coffee. I could not settle myself down. Other than that, even a week after completing the 21 Days, I am still sleeping incredibly well. I lost an additional .5 pounds during the 4th week and that is with me adding in foods like grains, legumes, some chocolate and meat. I'm ecstatic.<br />
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Read about Week One <a href="http://christiekoester.blogspot.com/2016/05/week-one-on-ultimate-reset.html" target="_blank">Here</a><br />
Read about Week Two <a href="http://christiekoester.blogspot.com/2016/05/week-two-down-another-15-pounds.html" target="_blank">Here</a> <br />
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I tried drinking coffee and my body rejected that. My heart went crazy and I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest once again. I was quickly reminded how that felt and I do not want to go back to that. No thanks. So I haven't been able to get myself to drink it. I continue to use a lot of the recipes from the 21-day Ultimate Reset in our weekly meal plan and that is helping a lot. I find myself craving the healthier foods over junk. Probably because I know how I feel when I eat well and fuel my body with foods straight from Mother's Earth vs. foods that have been manipulated or processed by science and man.<br />
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I did try a little Culvers after the zoo this past weekend and it did not sit well with me once bit. Not my proudest moment. My heart raced, I felt super sluggish and tired. I even took a nap, which I rarely do and spent the rest of the day feeling thirsty, groggy and swollen - I was retaining water terribly.<br />
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Would I do this again? In a heartbeat!! I was overwhelmed that first week but I realize that's how I had been feeling about EVERYTHING in life and I had gotten to a point where I was desperately seeking something that would help take that pressure and anxiety away that I had been feeling for months. Nothing seemed to be working anymore. This did the trick! Plus, it helped me get my love of meal planning and prepping back. I was getting burned out on trying to figure out what to make week after week. I also added in daily words of affirmations, massages, chiropractic adjustments, meditation, lots of walking and all that water and good food and it's amazing what that did for me - what this program did for me!!<br />
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I was hoping my Optic Neuritis would magically get better, but my eye is the same. My guess is if I continue to treat my body right, maybe my chances are better for a quicker recovery. Fingers crossed.<br />
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I've been sharing a lot of the recipes I tried during the 21 Day Ultimate Reset over at my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CoachChristieKoester" target="_blank">Like Page</a>. Be sure to like my page for more recipes or comment, like and share any of the posts.<br />
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<b><u>DAY 21 ENTRIES: </u></b></div>
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HOW WOULD YOU RATE OR DESCRIBE YOUR OVERALL HEALTH?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>I'd give myself a 9.5. I do miss the fitness part but all that walking and stretching was pretty great!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>No.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Daily</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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ARE YOU AWARE OF THE HABITS and PATTERNS YOU HAVE FORMED AROUND EATING?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Yes. I found myself wanting a bite of my kids foods more than just once or twice. Or I wanted a cracker or 10 a lot. I also tend to want to eat really fast during meals because someone always needs something. I tried to slow down and remind myself I deserve to have a nice meal too and that I won't die if I don't eat something the minute I start to feel hungry. That was a big thing for me. I have this idea in my head that I will pass out if I don't eat when I'm hungry. Not true. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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ARE YOU ABLE TO HAVE A COMPLETE AND SATISFYING ELIMINATION?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>YES.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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ARE YOUR BOWEL OFTEN CONSTIPATED? HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>NO.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU HAVE A HISTORY OF DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>NO.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR OVERALL ENERGY LEVELS?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>10. I am back to brain dumping everything I'd like to do, then writing them out in a level of importance and getting a handful of stuff done. Rather than having that brain fog and freezing and doing nothing at all, which would create more anxiety. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU RELY ON STIMULANTS, SUCH AS CAFFEINE OR SUGARS TO GET YOUR THROUGH YOUR DAY?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>NO! YAY! </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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DO YOU SLEEP WELL?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>AMAZINGLY</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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DO YOU WAKE FEELING RESTED?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>If I get over 6 hours and 45 minutes of good sleep, yes. Anything less and the answer is NO.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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HOW IS YOUR COMPLEXION?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>CLEAR!!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE HEADACHES?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>The day I had a few sips of coffee, my headache came back, otherwise I don't!</i></div>
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DOES YOUR BREATHING FEEL SHALLOW OR CONSTRICTED?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>No. I feel really good!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU FEEL MENTALLY CLEAR AND ALERT?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>YES!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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If you're looking for that change and are ready to commit, I'd love to work with you! Take a moment to <a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/q1xd98m00b1icuv/" target="_blank">fill out this form</a> so I can get to know you and your goals better!<br />
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<br />Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-6250528512711325492016-05-18T06:00:00.000-05:002016-05-18T15:19:14.284-05:00WEEK TWO: DOWN ANOTHER 1.5 POUNDS<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Ultimate Reset WEEK TWO</span></div>
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Image a weight being lifted off your chest and being able to
sleep rock solid at night. Yeah. Thatās whatās going on with me. This whole ultimate
reset has done WONDERS for me. Not only do I feel more Zen and at peace with
everything, the heavy pressure and anxiety has lifted, and my tight pants from
two weeks ago are now LOOSE (total bonus!). I truly feel amazing from the
inside out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Best of all, my confidence has grown. I feel like I have
broken out of this shell Iāve been wrapping myself in. Itās hard to explain
because itās not like Iām a super shy personāI enjoy building relationships and being real with
othersābut I do swallow my emotions. I honestly didnāt think I was so caged up inside. I
honestly think it boils down to control. I like to be in control of things and
there were so many things happening this past year that I had no control over
and that freaked me out. So I kept internalizing and would get distracted, so
there was nowhere for those āemotionsā/āfeelingsā to go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This Reset has helped me appreciate who I am as a person,
has shown me what Iām capable of and has made me see that holding things in is actual
a disservice to my body and those around me. I simply need to be me, enjoy life
and fuel up my tank with positivity and gratitude as much as I can FIRST before
I start giving.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I've been waking up early and I start off by drinking
20 ounces of water and taking supplements at the same time each day and on an
empty stomach. There are 6 different kinds of supplements. These supplements consist
of ingredients like Pink Himalayan salt, aloe vera, curcumin, milk thistle, and
probiotics to name a few. Nothing strange or that I havenāt heard of and all
straight from Mother Earthālike all the foods in this program. I still canāt
believe I havenāt sneaked a cracker or piece of chocolate or sip of beer this
entire time. I am so much stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Meal prepping for everyone has been tough though. I'm not going to lie. I have had to
stop myself from grabbing a cracker or finishing food off my kidās platesā¦.or licking a spoon. That part has been tough. Karl brought home pizza and cookies on Saturday
night. That was challenging. The whole house smelled incredible but I also
reminded myself, if I wanted that cookie SOOO bad, I could have it after the 21
days. And then I was fine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After I drink my mineralized distilled water upon waking in
the morning, I prop my feet up, lie on my back and breathe. I breathe in for 5
seconds, hold for 5, exhale for 5 seconds and then pause for 5 seconds. I do
this for 5 minutes. Then I do light yoga stretching. This gets my energy
flowing. I get ready in the bathroom and read daily affirmations that I taped
to the mirror. This helps remind me WHY Iām doing this and WHAT is important in
my life and that I AM enough to everyone around me. It helps me stay focused
and grounded. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On my way in to work and on my way home, I have been listing to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Outperform-Norm-Secrets-Creating-Business-ebook/dp/B00JB2DM8A" target="_blank">Outperform the Norm</a>, which has been such a good read for me. The author (from Minnesota) hits home on ALL areas of health. From nutrition to fitness to mindset and applying all of this into your daily life. If you're not feeling your best, how can you DO your best? </div>
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I have been following the guide to a T! This is crazy to me
since I never used to miss a day eating dark chocolate and I usually go a bit
crazy on the weekends with naughty foods. I try to follow the 80/20 rule when
it comes to eating, but we had a couple stressful months and I was eating more 60/40
and my body was screaming at me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Entering the second week (called the Release phase), we eliminated
meat, eggs and dairy. Iām not going to lie. I was scared. In the guide we have
our meals planned out for us ā we just need to get to the store, prep the food
and enjoy! All the recipes are in the back. I share them on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/coachchristiekoester" target="_blank">Like Page</a> (follow me there!). <o:p></o:p></div>
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I have tried so many new types of foods and have prepared food
in different ways, which helps me because I was getting burned out with meal
planning for the entire family before I started. This has just helped put that
extra bounce in my step and I appreciate food SO much more and realize how
lucky we are that we GET all the options we do. What we put in our bodies
really determine a lot!<o:p></o:p></div>
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During the final week we focus on plant based nutrition. So
we eliminate grains and legumes. Itās simply fruits and vegetables. Will I be
able to do it? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Iām entering the third week 6.5 pounds lighter and feeling
so great! I canāt wait to see whatās in store that third week. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What would be the hardest food for you to eliminate from
your diet right now if you had to? <o:p></o:p></div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-64483936944212138402016-05-11T06:00:00.000-05:002016-05-11T20:06:16.374-05:00Week One on the Ultimate Reset<span style="font-size: large;">Five Pounds...GONE!</span><br />
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One week down of the Ultimate Reset and I have lost 5
pounds. Say what? I canāt even believe it. But at the same time I can ...with the
amount of healthy foods I have been consuming. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My goal starting this detox wasnāt to lose a bunch
of weight, though Iāll be OK with a few pounds gone. I have a stack of pants in
my closet that just donāt want to fit right. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Truthfully, the main reason I did this was to FEEL good on
the inside. Karl reminded me several times that I already eat healthy and my
insides are fine, did I really have to do this detox? </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RvmOovBtaRU/VzOYiKm55EI/AAAAAAAAbPI/HZDzgkdMTSgaqE16EQ9EtPq5HHv0xfdfQCLcB/s1600/Week-One-Ultimate-Reset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RvmOovBtaRU/VzOYiKm55EI/AAAAAAAAbPI/HZDzgkdMTSgaqE16EQ9EtPq5HHv0xfdfQCLcB/s400/Week-One-Ultimate-Reset.jpg" width="365" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Starting Weight: 157</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Day 7 Weight: 152</span></td></tr>
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My answer: YES. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the pictures you canāt tell much of a difference. Or at
least I canāt tell. However, the scale doesn't define us. But I can see why
people would give up if they CAN'T SEE a difference in themselves when they put
so much work and time into making a change. Rome wasnāt built in a day. Healthy changes take days
upon days of hard work and dedication. And let me tell you, one week in and I
feel amazing. Iām going with that!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I had been feeling so much brain fog, I was jumpy at times and
anxious a lot, full of worry and Iād wake at night almost in a panic with all
the thoughts racing through my brain. I would toss and turn and dwell on things
I didnāt need to be worrying about but I could not release them. Iād work out,
but I still felt tired though I had energy. Iām not sure that makes sense but
it was a different sort of exhaustion. More like a āburned outā feeling. I felt
stuck. Almost frozen because there was so much going on that I didnāt even know
where to begin. And it kept coming. But by doing nothing, I created a huge amount of pressure on my
chest. And I constantly had to remind myself to breathe. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TCOtZboUEkk/VzOYqVPN88I/AAAAAAAAbPM/R-TqX0INVTU0xPjMfGZIEYHC2Xgs_6g0QCLcB/s1600/Week-One-Ultimate-Reset-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TCOtZboUEkk/VzOYqVPN88I/AAAAAAAAbPM/R-TqX0INVTU0xPjMfGZIEYHC2Xgs_6g0QCLcB/s400/Week-One-Ultimate-Reset-back.jpg" width="361" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting Weight: 157<br />
Day 7 Weight: 152</td></tr>
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With the Ultimate Reset, you get a sweet booklet that has
everything in it. Grocery lists, your meal plan for the week and recipes. Itās
THE best guide EVER. You head off to the health food stores and fill up your cart with a
ton of great organic healthy eats. You learn about WHY you are doing this and what it will do for you, what you can expect and why these foods are the chosen ones. There are three phases. Week One - Reclaim. Week Two - Release. Week Three - Restore. </div>
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What I like best is in the booklet, there is
a section on āThis is Me Nowā. Itās a place to journal the day you start and on
day 21. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u>DAY ONE ENTRIES: </u></b></div>
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HOW WOULD YOU RATE OR DESCRIBE YOUR OVERALL HEALTH?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Iād give myself an 8.
I get up early to workout. I pretty much follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to nutrition, but I donāt get the greatest sleep and stress seems to be a constant
thing in my life right now. And I let it eat at me. Why? <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>No. I'm pretty good!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Daily</i>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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ARE YOU AWARE OF THE HABITS and PATTERNS YOU HAVE FORMED
AROUND EATING?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Eating has been
stressful for me. Kids are usual screaming or crying and I find myself dreading
it. I love preparing the food for everyone but when it gets flung across the
room and Nathan screams his brains out and Jackson cries and tells me itās āyuckyā, that causes stress. It's not a fun time. So I find myself forcing food down my throat at a crazy fast speed. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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ARE YOU ABLE TO HAVE A COMPLETE AND SATISFYING ELIMINATION?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>YES.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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ARE YOUR BOWEL OFTEN CONSTIPATED? HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN
GOING ON?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>NO.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU HAVE A HISTORY OF DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>NO.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR OVERALL ENERGY LEVELS? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>8. I have a LOT of
energy, but I think Iām hovering around the āburntā out energy levels now. I
never shut off. I keep going and I want to find the part of me that can relax. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU RELY ON STIMULANTS, SUCH AS CAFFEINE OR SUGARS TO GET
YOUR THROUGH YOUR DAY?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>YES. I will have coffee
in the morning on my drive in. Do I ever finish my coffee? No. Is it usually
hot? No. Do I spill it? Yes. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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DO YOU SLEEP WELL?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>I can fall asleep in a
second. But I wake up often. I toss and turn. I worry. I feel anxious. I have
lots of thoughts going on in my head. Ideas. Stories. Memories. Crazy dreams.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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DO YOU WAKE FEELING RESTED?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>If I get over 6 hours and
45 minutes of good sleep, yes. Anything less and the answer is NO.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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HOW IS YOUR COMPLEXION?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>I have this strange
rash on my right cheek. And hard zits like I used to get my freshman year in
college. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE HEADACHES?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Not too often. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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DOES YOUR BREATHING FEEL SHALLOW OR CONSTRICTED?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>All the time.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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DO YOU FEEL MENTALLY CLEAR AND ALERT?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>No. This makes me feel
panicky because I honestly canāt focus for a second. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS ULTIMATE RESET AT THIS TIME?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>My focus is so wonky right now. I am
way too anxious. I have never done a detox for the fear of starving myself. I
need a change. I want to feel awesome. I want to prove to myself I can do this.
I want to see if this will help my optic neuritis. If this will help my stress
levels. Just want to be the best mom and wife. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO GAIN FROM THE ULTIMATE RESET?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>I want to feel like me
again. Not sweat the small stuff. I want
to feel refreshed, healthy from the inside out, determined to take on the day and
laugh throughout the day. ENJOY every day. Feel rested and calm but still have
that fire in my belly to knock the socks off my dreams. Not feel like I need to take on otherās problems and just simply
focus on how grateful I am for this life I have been blessed with. Be more
mindful and simply just love! I want to express my emotions better too. When something is on my mind, I just want to get it out rather than holding it in. I have this thing of keeping in any sadness/frustration I feel. Like when my grandparents died, I felt like life just kept going and I had to be done feeling sad. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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WHAT HABITS DO YOU FEEL ARE CAUSING YOUR CURRENT DECLINE?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Not asking for help
enough. Putting on my oxygen mask last, not first. Not taking enough time for me to breathe. Not saying affirmations
enough. Complicating everything rather than simplifying. Spreading myself too
thin. Need to be better at communicating how Iām feeling with others rather
than holding it in until I'm ready to blow. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<b>THE FOOD</b></div>
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The food has been incredible!! I thought it'd be tasteless. I'd be starving. My whole life would revolve around what I was eating and when. It hasn't been that way. I'm not going to lie and say there isn't prep work involved. I had to do that in pockets of time on the weekends but just like anything, you start to get the hang of it. You just need to give it a TRY! I will post more food in the recap of WEEK TWO! </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8I1OZr4HE1U/VzOYYzNXK3I/AAAAAAAAbPE/YqV49-j02goUQOiwq3oxpdLzH9dijTCqwCLcB/s1600/20160511_114511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8I1OZr4HE1U/VzOYYzNXK3I/AAAAAAAAbPE/YqV49-j02goUQOiwq3oxpdLzH9dijTCqwCLcB/s400/20160511_114511.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>THE CRAZIEST PART FOR ME</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Drinking distilled water. I never really knew that was the most purest form of water. I have cooked and baked with and only drank distilled water! Nuts, huh? But perhaps this is why my skin is so great right now? </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>THE MOST CHALLENGING PART</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fruit for breakfast. I LOVE fruit but I feel like I need protein. I'm super hungry right after breakfast until lunch time. I'm trusting the process though. After all, it's only 21 Days and I probably will be adding more protein back into my breakfast and another protein filled snack before lunch once this is done. For now, I can get my mind right and breathe through it. And I drink a LOT of water!! Distilled water, that is.<br />
<br />
<b>HOW I FEEL AFTER ONE WEEK</b><br />
AMAZING!!! I haven't slept this hard and good in years. I feel incredibly rested. My rash on my face has cleared up. I have little anxiety. The brain fog is gone. I had a couple rough days with detox headaches but for the most part I feel STRONG. Love feeling like this! I wake up and drink 12 ounces of water right away and I sit and breathe for 5 minutes. I do words of affirmations and I stretch. Doing this has been so great for me!</div>
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I'm SO glad I'm giving this Reset a try. I can't wait to see my results after Week 2!! I'm super grateful that I am a Beachbody coach so I hold myself accountable to my own health and fitness and I get to try out all these amazing programs and products AND get the amazing discount too!! Just knowing that we get to EAT normal foods and not have to do all this crazy wonky stuff you see how there (wraps, pills, patches, double shakes for days), makes me feel proud. If I wasn't a coach, I probably would have kept going like I was and would have forgotten how good it feels to be healthy from the inside out!!</div>
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<br />
Have you done a detox before? Were you happy with the results? If you're interested in learning more about the Ultimate Reset or Coaching, please <a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/q1xd98m00b1icuv/" target="_blank">click here. </a> </div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-42558082297723546822016-03-30T06:00:00.000-05:002016-04-24T22:16:18.094-05:00When the eye doctor says...."I Think You Have MS."<h4>
āI think you have MS.ā The eye doctor looked at me with concern.</h4>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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āWhat?ā <i>But I'm healthy,</i> I thought. By then, the world had already sucked me into a vortex
far away from anything and anyone. I vaguely remember Nathan pulling out all
the napkins and Kleenex from the doctorās office garbage can and tugging out all
the electrical cords from the outlets. I did nothing. The eye doctor became Nathan's makeshift babysitter. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Swallowing was hard. My heart pounded in my ears. I shook my head to rattle the dark
thoughts bouncing around. āWhat? Does this mean there could be a tumor up
there?ā I squeaked out. I thought of my dear friend Kathy who lost her life in
short 15 months after being diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme. Her
diagnoses started all because she had a dark curtain in the upper quadrant of
both her eyes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So this is how she feltā¦ My heart sank.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
āIām going to run a series of more tests, but everything you
are telling me points to MS. The good thing is you didnāt have a stroke. You do
not have a detached retina.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The room started spinning. I stared at Nathan who was
now spilling cheerios everywhere and marching all over them. I blinked. What
does this mean? I wonāt get to see him grow up? My kids wonāt have a mom
anymore? Iāll be in a wheelchair? I will start falling apart limb by limb? Karl
will be burdened with taking care of me?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A little back story... On Sunday, March 13, I woke with a blur in my left eye. I
thought maybe it was one of those floaters or maybe I had extra goop building
in my eye. After all, both boys were sick with bad colds. I mentioned to Karl that something was blocking my vision that afternoon and that was it. Monday came and it felt like there was a curtain over my left eye. What was going on? Why did
I keep seeing this weird gray overlay? Why did it hurt to move my eye suddenly to the left? I mentioned it to Karl and he snapped at
me that I needed to get in the doctor right away but that Iām too stubborn to do
anything about it. I didn't even get defensive. He's right. Plus, he too had a dear friend pass away from glioblastoma
multiforme, leaving behind two young kids. I could hear the fear in his voice. I
knew his mind was going to where mine had.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Tuesday, my intuition kicked in as I was driving home from work and
everything looked so blurry. That voice that pushes me to do things I fear the
most reared its head. āYOU HAVE TO GO IN. THIS ISNāT NORMAL.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wanted to ignore. I just wanted normal. But itās hard to
ignore when I look out of my eyes all day long. I was constantly reminded
something wasnāt right. Something was going on inside my brain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It had to be stress. Right? Stress does crazy things. Both
my grandparents died back to back and I still havenāt fully grieved them. Cuz as a mom when do I ever get to simply BE and THINK? I
spent a solid 12 months of not sleeping. The last 3 weeks I was up 3-5 times a
night with a teething toddler. Weād just lost an hour of sleep with daylight
savings. I had huge projects going on at work, I'm a Beachbody coach to an amazing 2 star Premiere team and my mom just had a double
mastectomy and was recovering at home and I couldnāt be there. I felt the heaviness
of stress on my chest for months. Was it just that? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The fact my eyeball hurt to move told me otherwise. Eyeballs
donāt hurt when youāre stressed out. Do they? I closed my eyes that night and bright
blue lights started zipping around my left eye. And then a bright white light
followed. It reminded me of the light I saw when I had a dream of my grandpa and he
told me his time was coming. Was this a sign? Was my time coming? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I woke up on Wednesday and felt like I was surrendering.
Nathan was sick and I stayed home with him. I knew this meant my
projects at work would be pushed behind even more, but by this point, I could barely focus on anything anyway. Plus, any chance I can get with my boys, I'm on it.<br />
<br />
My eyesight was getting worse and I asked Karl if my eye doctor was still
covered under our new insurance. I would try to get in since I was already
taking the day off. Karl took it one step further and got me in with his eye
doctor immediately. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I thought maybe Iād do one eye test and they'd know. I sat
Nathan on my lap and went through 3 hours of tests that morning. Each one
scared me more. I couldnāt see the blinking lights they were showing me in my
left eye. My anxiety grew. What was going on? The eye doctor examined and re-examined my eyes. He
dilated them. I never once wore contacts in my life, and the glasses I did wear back in the
day were more for the ācoolā factor and for a stigmatism that was corrected 5
years ago. When I went to my eye doctor in the fall, I was told my vision was
even better than 2 years ago. Seriously, what was going on? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He came back in with my test results. āThe good news is your
actual eyeballs are healthy and perfect. However, you have this thing called
Optic Neuritis. Your latest vision test confirms you are unable to see clearly
out of your bottom right quadrant of your left eye. Your optic nerve is inflamed
and usually optic neuritis is the first sign of MS.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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āWhat? MS? So itās not a tumor?ā (Why, oh, why did my mind keep going
down this road?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
āThere are no tumors that I can see in your eye but this is
more nerve and brain related and I need to send you to a doctor at the U of M
to get a MRI done. I talked to a neurologist already and he agrees with me
that you have the classic signs of optic neuritis. They donāt know why it happens. It just does. You didn't do anything wrong. You
have all the symptoms and youāre a female between the ages it normally develops.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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I blinked. My brain could not process what was going on. By
now Nathan was licking the germ infested toys in the office. All I could do was stare at the floor. The admin assistant was able to
get me an appointment but not for another 13 days!!!! I had to wait
13 days to figure out what was going on with my vision? Maybe a tiny part of me was
comforted because if this was truly urgent, they would have gotten me in immediately,
right? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I got in my car. My head was buzzing. I couldnāt make out
words or names and numbers on my phone because I was still dilated and tears
flooded my eyes. Nathan was now crying and fussy because we missed lunch and
were right in the middle of nap. For one minute I wanted to just have a BREAK
from it all. I called Karl and started crying. What was going on with me? Why was this happening? It
was Karlās birthday and I was telling him I might have MS. I didnāt want to
tell him but I knew I couldnāt tell my mom. She needed to heal from her surgery. She did not need to worry about me
now too. Maybe I'd wake up and everything would be fine? <o:p></o:p></div>
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For the next several days, I was wound up so tight. My eyesight never changed, which fueled my anxiety. Why was my eye like this? I
can say my perspective changed. I looked at everything and everyone
differently. I let things go - things like food stuck on the floor and toys scattered all over the kitchen table. I hugged tighter. I snuggled in closer. I took naps. I relaxed on the couch and watched
more TV (totally hooked on <i>The Office</i> right now. Thanks to Karl. I needed something funny to focus on) and wrapped myself in my prayer shawl. I begged God to let everything be
OK. I prayed and prayed and talked to him and cried in silence. What did this
all mean? I tried to stay away from Google but before I knew it according to my
symptoms, I had a tumor, leukemia and MS with Lupus. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I tried working out because that has always been my saving
grace and my therapy, but my eyesight would get worse every time my body temperature rose and it would create a greater anxiety in me. Was
I harming my body? <o:p></o:p></div>
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By now my mom knew what was going on. I had my preventative care appointment and she was curious as I was how things would turn out. Maybe something
would come up there. I told my doctor what was going on and she was just as
confused as I was. She ran extra blood work and the results were emailed to me
throughout the day via MyChart. Every new test that came through, and I was Googling what organ was tied with the results. Everything was NORMAL. My potassium was a
little low and my white blood count came in just under the standard numbers but
the doctor didnāt see concern for that. What did a lower count mean, anyway? I jumped on Google and before I knew it I had
a rare form of cancer. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I needed to STOP. <o:p></o:p></div>
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From that point on, somehow I was able to take any negative
thought and send it right to God. There was no other option but to do that unless I wanted to burn a hole in my stomach with the amount of worry I felt. I had to work hard at it but thatās what
helped me get through the next several days. I figured God already had a plan laid
out for me and I had to trust him. I had to trust there was a reason this was
going on and I needed to be OK with not having answers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The 29<sup>th</sup> came and Karl and I drove to the U of M
together. āIsnāt it amazing what a miracle our bodies really are? We donāt
realize how amazing we have it until something goes wrong.ā I choked down those
words. Karl nodded and gripped the steering wheel tighter. I knew how I was feeling. I could only imagine what was
going on in his mind since Iāve always been considered the positive one. I was
so thankful he was there. I even mentioned that I felt like a college student again walking around
campus next to him. We held hands. When was the last time we held hands?<br />
<br />
It felt nice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I filled out the paperwork and did another series of eye
exams. My vision in my left eye was so blurry by now. I could barely make out the tiny
letters in the top row of the eye chart. I had to work extra hard at reading them. I panicked. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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We met with Dr. Lee and he asked me questions and examined
my eyes. He too asked if he could dilate them. He studied them and confirmed
that I do in fact have optic neuritis. He held up a bright red folder and the
color changed to a burnt orange when I looked out of my left eye. That didnāt
happen before when the first eye doctor did that test. My heart raced and palms
got sweaty. Was I going downhill fast? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Dr. Lee laid it out for us. āYou have optic neuritis. To be
diagnosed with MS you need two of the major symptoms. You have one of them, which
is optic neuritis. Now, if your MRI comes back with white matter on it, you are
at 75% risk for developing MS and will need to take preventative measures. This
would mean you will meet with a neurologist and then decide if you want to get
on the medicine that prevents MS. Itās just like someone who knows they have
the BRCA1 and 2 genes deciding to get a double mastectomy because the chances
of them developing breast cancer are so high. Now, if there is NO white matter,
your chance of developing MS is 25% and you get to come back and see me in four
weeks. You can also schedule another MRI in 6 months and schedule to get one
every year if you want. Otherwise, your vision in your left eye usually will get worse
before it gets better and itāll take around 3 months to be restored. I also
think you have something called Uhtoffās. You have a faulty nerve wire in your
eye. That might never be repaired so I want you to be prepared for that. When your body gets hot, you lose some of
your vision and then it gets better when you cool back down. You are not
harming your body by working out or taking showers. Do you have any questions
for me?ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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I didnāt. Other than this being a possible tumor. He told me it'd be SO rare for that even happening because all my symptoms point to MS, but he couldn't say never. He used some animal analogy they use in the healthcare field to help calm me and I figured he was probably right. There would be more symptoms if I had a tumor. By now I just wanted to know there was NO white
matter on my brain and that Iād be OK. They call this idiopathic optic neuritis - there really isn't a reason why it happens. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My MRI was scheduled for 2 p.m. I sat in the tube and
watched the tech's face reading my scan through the mirror. Did he look shocked?
Did he seem concerned? He seemed to be enjoying a pop... You wouldn't enjoy a pop if someone's brain was lighting up with white dots, right? After 15 minutes, he pulled me out of the tube and added
dye to my arm. I went back in for another 12 minutes. Taylor Swift sang in my
ear and I kept on talking to God. Maybe he wants me to see how truly powerful my
mind can be? I had myself believing the worst case scenario. If I can channel
all the negative thoughts I have into positive ones, I will be unstoppable. If
I can just learn to trust him always and continue to put my faith in
him, I will have the peace I need to simply ENJOY this amazing life. But why IS LETTING GO and GIVING TO GOD SO HARD to do though? <o:p></o:p></div>
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My MRI was over. Now I would wait for the call. I wanted to enjoy the rest of my day but we were out of milk
and eggs! So off to Costco I went. It helped keep me distracted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At 5 p.m. my phone rang. āItās Dr. Lee. Your MRI is NORMAL.
Everything looks great. I will see you in four weeks to see where your eye is
at.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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I melted to the floor. I cried with relief. I will BE OKAY.
Sure there is still that small chance for things to happen but in my mind, I have my second
chance. THANK YOU GOD! Itās time to get busy living! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Ever have something funky happen to your eye? </div>
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<br /></div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-54245162695792941202016-02-24T10:34:00.000-06:002016-02-24T10:34:25.953-06:00What Comes with Breast Cancer?<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I have started this blog post a bunch,
but then I stop.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Every. Single. Time.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I donāt have control over things, it feels uncomfortable
- scary at times - and so much easier to ignore. But when cancer is involved,
you canāt just pretend itās not there.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv0-z3IZ0qE/VsTvnY872gI/AAAAAAAAbFo/mrR0GFyagU8/s1600/IMG_3351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nv0-z3IZ0qE/VsTvnY872gI/AAAAAAAAbFo/mrR0GFyagU8/s400/IMG_3351.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom and my sweet lil niece Audrey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16.5pt;">Most of you have been following my momās journey with breast
cancer. It all happened so fast and caught us off guard. But statistics are now
showing that weāre all going to be faced with cancer at some point in our
lives. The fact that sheās made it into her 60s without any history up until
this point "is great", according to the doctor.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I lose my breath at the thought of all this - cancer feels like it's taking over at times - but let me continue
on. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A month ago, my mom had an appointment with a new surgeon
who would do <i>another</i> lumpectomy. She
would cut into my momās left breast, remove and mark more positive margins and remove
and test three lymph nodes. If there was cancer detected in any of the lymph
nodes, theyād keep testing until the last lymph node showed no sign of cancer.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The first lumpectomy
my mom had, the surgeon removed all the breast cancer and positive margins but
didnāt mark where he collected the positive margins from. </span><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11pt;">During a lumpectomy, the surgeonās goal is to take out all the
breast cancer, plus a rim of normal tissue around it. This is to be sure all
the cancer has been removed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.5pt;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">During or after surgery, a pathologist looks at the tissue
thatās been removed to make sure there are no cancer cells in the margin. A
clear, negative, or clean margin means there are no cancer cells at the outer
edge of tissue that was removed. A positive margin means that cancer cells come
right out to the edge of the removed tissue and have ink on them. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">My mom was able to find out that day with the first
surgeon that there were stage 0 and 1 cells in the tumor that was removed from
her left breast. They just need to find out what grade. The grade would determine
how fast this cancer was growing. When those results came back, my mom found
out her cancer was a grade 1 ā the slowest growing. She had her age and post-menopausal
factor to thank for that. And he was sure he had removed all the cancer.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt;">The next step was to meet with an oncologist and radiologist,
which she did and loved. After speaking to the radiologist, she suggested my
mom meet with a female surgeon who wanted to test her lymph nodes to be safe.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is when she found out the positive margins werenāt
marked specifically so she would also have to do another lumpectomy. So during
my mom's second lumpectomy, the surgeon ran the lymph nodes off for testing
while my mom was under. No further cancer of any form was detected in any of the
lymph nodes. GREAT NEWS!!!</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The surgeon sent extra breast tissue off to the Mayo to
ensure there were no more cancer cells in the breast tissue. Seemed like
everything was going to turn out just fine after all. Whew.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My parents left in good spirits since the news of the lymph
nodes was great! But my poor mom was once again in pain and learned she would
never be able to get her blood pressure taken from her left arm again or get
blood drawn because they had removed lymph nodes from her armpit. Hearing this bummed
me out. Itās the little things, I guess. Just one of the
things we take for granted.</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eLzDZv2AnTY/VsTwErZP8EI/AAAAAAAAbFs/Az84yTXFD_A/s1600/20160101_132548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eLzDZv2AnTY/VsTwErZP8EI/AAAAAAAAbFs/Az84yTXFD_A/s400/20160101_132548.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My mom was to REST and go back a week later and discuss possible
radiation treatments and a certain medication she could take. Not the best of best
news, but so much better than what could be, right? We will take it! My mom
went home but never handles medication well and spent the evening throwing up. We'e very much alike when it comes to medications. Our bodies just donāt
handle.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was feeling so guilty that I wasnāt with her because I was
in California for a Beachbody Coaching Leadership Retreat and it took every
OUNCE of me to leave my boys, let alone be even more miles away from her during
this surgery. My anxiety levels were at an ALL-TIME HIGH. So when I got the
good news, I felt like everything was right with the world and I could breathe
a little more.<br />A week went by and my mom decided that sheād go forward with
radiation. But when she sat with the
surgeon she didnāt expect the news she got. The tissue that was removed came
back with some stage 0 (pre cancer) and some stage 1 cancer cells. Nooooooooo!!
So that meant there were still cancer cells growing in her breast. I can only
imagine what my parents felt, let alone my mom. Defeated? Frustration? Shock?
Fear?</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The surgeon suggested a mastectomy, followed by possible
chemo. And then gave my mom some options. She could go ahead and get a
mastectomy and leave it at that and look for a prosthetic boob or find an
entire new surgeon and get the mastectomy and get reconstructive surgery. That
specific hospital did not offer reconstructive surgery.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My mom went home stunned. Sheād have to go through even MORE?
What if this was just the beginning? What if her time here was shorter than she
thought? What if she removed her breasts and the cancer had nowhere to go and
ended up in a new spot? What ifā¦ What ifā¦</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(I only know these thoughts because she shared them with me
in a moment on the phone. I appreciated her vulnerability but I donāt think I
slept very much that night. Things became very real.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />She spent time looking at her chest in the mirror apologizing
to her smaller breasts for all the times she criticized them for being less
than perfect. She spent time visualizing her body without her most feminine
parts in hopes maybe this would prepare her better.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5SPinJ8lzo/VsTwRaIB43I/AAAAAAAAbF0/VidFV3utHLw/s1600/20160101_134128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5SPinJ8lzo/VsTwRaIB43I/AAAAAAAAbF0/VidFV3utHLw/s400/20160101_134128.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Personally, Iām not sure how to prepare yourself for losing
a part of you. I keep thinking what if someone said, well, Iām just going to
take a couple fingers or toes? Is that different than removing your breasts? No
matter what part of our body, they are all part of who we are. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So my mom gathered all her results and went to a new
hospital that offered a team of doctors for both the mastectomy and
reconstructive surgery so she can get it all done at once. She met with the
surgeon and plastic surgeon and felt really good with how thorough they were
with her. They also said the chance of the other breast getting cancer is around
20%. So my mom is opting for a double mastectomy. The surgery should last
around five hours and it will be painful ā she was given an instructional video
to watch.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">She has met with a new oncologist (who she loved and made eye contact the entire time) who says after her breasts are removed, she will not need further treatment. Her double mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery, is scheduled in early March. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />So hereās to more prayers, lots of them, please!! For a
healthy, quick recovery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is how Iāve been praying, <i>āGod. Please give my mom the wisdom and strength to make the right
choices for herself so she will live out the healthiest and longest, most
joyful life possible. Lead her to the right team of doctors to help her through
this and comfort her through this recovery period. Fill her with sunshine and
shoot sunbeams throughout her body to melt away any negativity, sadness, uncertainty,
or bad cells that do not belong. Keep her strong. Fill her with hope and
love daily. Hold her in the palm of your hands. I trust you. Amen.ā</i></span></div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-63051041155706011152016-02-20T13:17:00.002-06:002016-02-20T13:17:32.979-06:00Guilt-Free, No-Bake Cookie Dough Treat<h3>
Did someone say cookie dough? </h3>
You're going to love this quick NO BAKE healthier option.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EMJYdQcZYAc/Vsi7KwJs73I/AAAAAAAAbGM/dvo28PzTIko/s1600/cookie-dough-yum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EMJYdQcZYAc/Vsi7KwJs73I/AAAAAAAAbGM/dvo28PzTIko/s400/cookie-dough-yum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<strong>Ingredients:</strong><br />
<br />
2 scoops of vanilla Shakeology (I used two individual packs. <em>Shakeology does not contain artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners or soy</em>)<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
2 TBS unsweetened almond milk<br />
2/3 cups of real almond butter<br />
as many semi sweet chocolate chips as you'd like<br />
<br />
<strong>Directions:</strong> <br />
<br />
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with hands. Roll into tiny balls and stick in fridge! <br />
<br />
ENJOY!<br />
<br />
Interested in more recipes like these and my sample weekly meal plans? Never miss a recipe. Fill out my <a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/w4aqd630mrekg2">online form</a> to be added to my newsletter.<br />
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-75014852435802659602016-01-16T22:00:00.000-06:002016-01-16T22:01:48.403-06:00Week Two: Hammer and Chisel<h3>
Done with Week Two!</h3>
WooHoo! I have completed two solid weeks of Hammer and Chisel and I'm so in love with this program! It's just the right amount of tough. Why do I love it?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D8mn-5svNtA/VpsO-qa0IaI/AAAAAAAAbA0/cdavtaf0Xe4/s1600/20160110_073304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D8mn-5svNtA/VpsO-qa0IaI/AAAAAAAAbA0/cdavtaf0Xe4/s400/20160110_073304.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<b>It challenges me</b><br />
Some of the moves are very different than what I've done before working with a trainer and even as a volleyball player in college. The workouts definitely challenge me and I like that. My muscles feel like they get a real great workout every time! And it's different muscles too, which I love. Below is a quick video of some of the workout sets from Week One. Workouts range from 30-40 minutes. Wham bam and feeling great!<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dylnlHaeCDcRanJUZS-6zwjsmXdn5NW6KmJQiVV7mcV-S2bMM5ikmWkuGe9GtlpZ8kDo-_4yBNt39fRIdxurQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>I feel stronger </b><br />
I still haven't mastered a full pull up, but I totally feel stronger. I have always struggled with normal push ups my whole life and I feel like I'm starting to get them down. I'm trusting the trainers, the different moves and my body and it's responding back! It's a great feeling to watch yourself accomplish things you used to struggle with. Keep on believing in yourself and the magic will happen!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-clopyfCpTRk/VpsO3rip8iI/AAAAAAAAbAo/hMDI-2AMGSI/s1600/20160116_070037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-clopyfCpTRk/VpsO3rip8iI/AAAAAAAAbAo/hMDI-2AMGSI/s400/20160116_070037.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>It's giving me more confidence and energy</b><br />
I've been getting up at 5 a.m. to make sure I squeeze in these workouts before work. #noexcuses. Sure, I look forward to Thursdays because those are my "rest" days where I get an extra hour of sleep, but I like my routine. This past Thursday, I was tempted by bad foods because my schedule was off. However, instead of beating myself up, I reminded myself I'm doing something really great for myself! That next day I hit it harder. We should never deprive ourselves of the foods we love or the life we want to live. We all make mistakes. I just call it failing forward!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wWgSzLzFk4Y/VpsO8fpt5nI/AAAAAAAAbAw/x8ANjZDfZks/s1600/20160116_095813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wWgSzLzFk4Y/VpsO8fpt5nI/AAAAAAAAbAw/x8ANjZDfZks/s400/20160116_095813.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm obsessed with chocolate and look forward to my sweet chocolate snack every afternoon. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>I enjoy the foods</b><br />
I am trying to follow the meal plan the best I can but like I mentioned above, there have been some slip ups. However, I try and make up for it the next day. I go by the 80/20 rule. Eat cleaner 80 percent of the time and maybe not so perfect 20 percent of the other time. This has been the reason I have been able to maintain. I will probably have to step it up soon though if I want that booty lifted even higher! Feel free to check out my <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_dKnstHIRXdoVAy_ZvE0tvryTpShnIw53ePOZFK6BAg/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Week Two Meal Plan</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UA8U7lCNU-0/VpsPABd72rI/AAAAAAAAbBA/EpV5c6tLE8k/s1600/20160116_115054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UA8U7lCNU-0/VpsPABd72rI/AAAAAAAAbBA/EpV5c6tLE8k/s400/20160116_115054.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XrQETADPv-U/VpsPBVtZccI/AAAAAAAAbBI/RNbMACzpRy0/s1600/20160116_120158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XrQETADPv-U/VpsPBVtZccI/AAAAAAAAbBI/RNbMACzpRy0/s400/20160116_120158.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
My next online bootcamp starts on February 1! Would love to see you in there. If you're interested, fill out the <a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/q1xd98m00b1icuv/" target="_blank">application</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>WEEK TWO PROGRESS:</b><br />
Height: 5'10"<br />
Weight: 155 (same)<br />
Inches: TBD<br />
Energy: AWESOME!<br />
<br />
What workout are you doing?Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-73497620566209980122016-01-14T16:28:00.001-06:002016-01-15T16:57:49.497-06:00Want to Join Me for Coffee?<h3>
Good to see you!! Thanks for joining
me for coffee again. </h3>
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Although, Iām trying to get more water versus coffee, I always notice
when I donāt get enough water the right side of my face starts to break out
more and I get more leg cramps at night. So chugging water over here. My husband always laughs at me anyway when I say I'm going to have coffee because it's about 5 sips worth. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kntb4_FvAco/Vpgfog_z8-I/AAAAAAAAbAU/p9_zkgbHoBI/s1600/20160114_140842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kntb4_FvAco/Vpgfog_z8-I/AAAAAAAAbAU/p9_zkgbHoBI/s400/20160114_140842.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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ANYWAY...how have things been going for you? <o:p></o:p></div>
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If we were having coffee, this is what Iād say ā¦<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Iād let you know </b>I talked to my mom yesterday and she goes
in for more surgery next week Thursday. She met with a new female surgeon who
also talked to my momās cardiologist down the hall so they are on the same
page. My mom felt great about that visit. The surgeon plans to go in and remove
even more tissue and the positive margins that were on the lump (that werenāt
marked by the first surgeon) and then start with removing 3 lymph nodes. If
there are signs of cancer in those, they will keep testing and removing lymph
nodes until there is no sign of cancer in the last node. It sounds like there
are about 30 lymph nodes in the breast? I'm learning as we go too! She will have a large dent in her breast
that will fill with water and then she will have options of what she wants to do depending how things
come back. I continue to be positive and visualize the sun filling her body every
day and melting away and ādarkā areas. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Iād let you know</b> about Nathan and how he is extremely clingy
right now. He hangs on to me for dear life. Heāll walk away for a few, play and
runs back and snuggles up into me. It is quite sweet because he is SO miniature
and cuddly, but that sure makes dinner time or doing much of anything
productive tough. The
spaces where his eye teeth will be coming in are swollen so we know what's on the horizon soon. Heās back to waking with screams during the night. His latest obsession
is with light switches. He likes everything but his toys. He loves his winter
hat and walking around with it and his jacket. He pulls out everyoneās shoes
and then puts them all back, or hides them. And he is my chocolate lover. He
canāt get enough. Itās a true obsession and I think I ate too much when I was
pregnant with him. Oops. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Iād let you know</b> that after a week of hanging out with my
dad, Jackson started singing Polish. He shocked my dad when he walked
downstairs and sang and recited the entire song my dad sang to him in Polish
the day before. This kid is a sponge. He is hilarious and is ALL BOY. We talk
about anatomy often. Heās asking a LOT of questions. Oh, and because Nathanās
latest obsession is light switches, Jackson's obsession is ...ummm....light switches! He was even put in a
timeout because he switched off the lights at daycare. The other day I told him how frustrated I was
with how my day was going. I groaned out loud. And he says
this, </div>
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Jackson: āMom. Why are you so frustrated?ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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Me: āNothing seems to be going the way I planned so Iām
frustrated. I worked really hard and things arenāt falling into place.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackson: āOh.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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Me: āWhat should I do? What do you do when youāre
frustrated?ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jackson: āI pray to God. You should do that and he will take
your mad away.ā<o:p></o:p></div>
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POOF. Frustrations gone. Who is this kid and how did we get
so lucky?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Iād let you know</b> that I did a really hard thing. I booked my
trip for Leadership Training in L.A. for Beachbody coaching. Because I ended
the year as a Premiere Coach, I was invited to this trip. I just wasnāt sure
how to present it to Karl. I knew I had to break a pattern I was creating of always saying "NO" to these amazing trips I was earning, but change is hard and leaving my kids is pretty much a no-go for this girl. I know doing the hard thing brings really good things. BUT the guilt was eating at me. I already feel
guilty when I have to leave my kids for work. </div>
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This is a HUGE deal though. I can't pass it up. And soooo...I did it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The last time I have gone anywhere without kids was when I
was pregnant with Jackson (so I guess I was with child) and we went to Vegas
over 4 years ago. Most of the time I slept though because I was so tired. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anyway, I was SO nervous asking Karl if I could go. Would he
laugh? Would he roll his eyes? Would he be frustrated with me? I have worked SO hard in my business as a health
and fitness coach and earned this trip. And I know if I want to grow, I have to
go. I have to do the hard thing. The thing that makes me so uncomfortable I
want to jump out of my skin. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But all of a sudden he saw the Tiffany earrings come in, then the flowers, then
my quarterly bonus check, then the recognition and me being announced on stage.
He saw me jumping up and down and the passion oozing through every being of my
body. He started to pay attention. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With a dry mouth and a million nerves, I shared with him how
important this was for meā¦for US and our future. I switched kidās appointments
around, made sure I stocked the freezer with easy to make foods and soon I
booked the flights and hotel. I am so exited to go but so scared too. I canāt wait to be a sponge
and soak up EVERYTHING I learn and apply it in my business and share with the
leaders on my team. And I already can't wait to see my kids. Oh, and Karl too:) <o:p></o:p></div>
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And then I booked our trip for Punta Cana in 2017 because as
a Premiere coach I get to register early. I've had a lot of people ask about coaching so I'm running a One HOUR Sneak Peek into coaching right on Facebook. <a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/mbnv36d1bw2ii5/" target="_blank">Fill this out</a> and I'll get you in on Sunday evening. It's a great place to ask questions and learn more about coaches and see how other busy people are able to do this from all walks of life! </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Iād let you know</b> that Iāve been doing a lot of goal setting
and simplifying of my life. Sometimes my head spins with all that goes on, but
once I get things down on paper and split out by quarter, I can stay focused on
my goals and keep moving forward, rather than feeling stuck and doing nothing because there is so much going on! I work hard and early so when it comes to my family, I can
spend time focusing on them and being present. They are my everything!. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Iād let you know</b> that Iām in week two of Hammer and Chisel
and feeling awesome. I seriously love this workout. I was telling my challenge
group that the latest workout felt like I was back playing volleyball again
warming up before a big game, just 30 minutes more. I can definitely see and
feel changes in my body and energy levels!
Iām not going to lie though, I sure do love the ārecoverā day. My next online bootcamp starts February 1 and I'm looking for a few more people to transform their bodies and lives! <a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/q1xd98m00b1icuv/" target="_blank">Register here</a>. </div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-8280544183654938362016-01-04T12:00:00.000-06:002016-01-04T14:01:21.327-06:00Day One - Hammer and Chisel - Chisel Balance<h3>
Today starts the first day of another monthly health and
fitness challenge group! </h3>
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I get so inspired by all the individuals in these groups.
Without their support and encouragement, it would be harder to press play every day! We have
people in this group doing 21-Day Fix, 21-Day Fix Extreme, PiYo, Cize and
Hammer and Chisel.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
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Iām doing Hammer and Chisel for the first time since it was
launched in December 2015. Hammer and Chisel is based off SSP (Stabilization, Strength and Power) training so you don't have to spend HOURS in the gym. You can truly get results in 40 minutes or less. </div>
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To be honest, Iām feeling really good after todayās
workout (already sore!!)! I SO NEEDED to get back into my routine after the crazy holidays and
all that food, alcohol and slacking. I know right now the gym (as much as I love it) doesnāt work for
me with my schedule and where we live. It would take me an extra 20 minutes to
get to the gym and on a machine or in a class, and another 20 to get home. This
doesnāt even include shower/getting ready time. Iād have to get up at 3:00 to
make this work!! Sleep plays a HUGE role in weight loss and muscle recovery. As
a mom of two boys, I need all the sleep I can get.</div>
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Getting up at 5:00 a.m. wasnāt as bad as I expected being
off our routine for ten days. Both our boys ended up getting colds and fevers right
before Christmas and didnāt sleep so well and then gave their little bug to me.
Thanks guys (but they are soo cute!)! I was up coughing most of the night for a solid week. Then our
oldest started to fight nightmares and was up quite often. I was way too
exhausted to work out. Plus, Christmas snuck up on me and I needed all the energy
I could get to tackle everything ā still havenāt sent out all our Christmas
cards. Oops! On a positive note, it seems like weāre all doing much better and
Iām very thankful for that! I have a really hard time being sick and realize I
take my health for granted. We are so very lucky to feel well most of the
time!! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>January 4, 2016<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Up and at em at 5:00 a.m.! I had my workout shorts set out
and my alarm set for 5 and was already wearing my t-shirt and sports bra (slept
in them) so I would be forced to get my workout in! #noexcuses <o:p></o:p></div>
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The night before I prepped our lunches and had all the sippy
cups ready for the boys and set out a pot to boil eggs. I had set up my laptop in
the basement and had my workout calendar on my bench so I knew exactly what
workout I would be doing. All I had to do was walk downstairs, add Beachbodyās
Performance Hydrate to water in my Shakeology shaker cup, put on my shoesā¦.gray
socks and all (hey, I went to church on Sunday and our laundry is already big
enough) and press play!!! Seemed easy
enough and there was no room for excuses!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Masters Hammer
and Chisel ā Chisel Balance</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Today was Chisel Balance and a 40 minute workout. It goes
FAST. All that was needed was a few different set of weights (I used 5-10 pound
weights) and my workout bench. The workouts werenāt as bad as I thought they
would be (at times I would get frustrated with my feet), but they were also moves I have never ever done before and can
already feel them in my legs (especially hamstrings)! Like..whoa. That says a
lot considering I spent all of my college days lifting weights as an athlete on
a volleyball scholarship!<o:p></o:p></div>
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After my workout I enjoyed Chocolate Recover,
which is supposed to help with muscle soreness and jump-start recovery. I tried these supplements while
doing my 21 days of Extreme because I was skeptical to start, as I am with most things! Well...I totally noticed a difference in muscle
soreness. Of course with any workout, you're going to be sore but I wasn't as sore as I know I should have been. I didnāt want to believe so I went without for a few days. VERY SORE!
Thereās an incredible science behind this line! The other cool thing is they
donāt count as ANY color containers and the ingredients are plant-based. No artificial weird stuff at all!!! SCORE!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Nutrition<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I didnāt make it to the grocery store on Sunday like I
normally do. Nathan (our 14 month old) is extremely clingy right now and I
couldnāt find the time to sit down and meal plan and write out a grocery list.
This only reminded me WHY I get up so early. I NEED that 1.5 hours to myself
every morning to be the best mom I can beā¦or else I get so lost in the day and
in everything else going on around me and get hung up on things that I shouldnāt
and just donāt like how I feel or how I am! I became a coach for this very
reason!!! For my own sanity and health and wellness. I needed to find a way to
force myself to work on myself! I know what happens when I do and when I donāt!
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I did find time to meal plan this morning and will be picking
up fresh groceries today after work. Here is our <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s8VZxtJI2YTgCUdFU9YxyBlAG6W86i04S2K1BpuNdxw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Meal Plan for Week One</a> and follows
the Hammer and Chisel Eating Plan ā itās so nice to have this as a guiding tool.
After going through all the materials from my challenge pack, I know Iām doing
Plan A which is 1,200 ā 1,499 calories a day for the goals I have by the end of
the 60 days.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>PERSONAL FITNESS GOALS for next 60 days</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Lose 5 lbs</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Get a 6 pack (my lower abs need work!)</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Lift booty</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Be able to do ONE pull up without help</span></li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmeXeGZDAu4/VorJ7vBiUaI/AAAAAAAAa_o/ZtQIgdmz71U/s1600/Before1-4-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmeXeGZDAu4/VorJ7vBiUaI/AAAAAAAAa_o/ZtQIgdmz71U/s400/Before1-4-16.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Before Photo</td></tr>
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Day One Height ā 5ā10<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day One Weight ā 156 pounds<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day One Total Inches ā TBD (will be adding these numbers in)<o:p></o:p></div>
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What workout are you doing now? Thereās still room for you
to participate in my monthly health and fitness online bootcamp! <a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/q1xd98m00b1icuv/" target="_blank">Register here.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Check back often to read more about my journey and results!</div>
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Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-19623514456562303912015-12-30T06:00:00.000-06:002015-12-30T15:36:49.909-06:00If We Were Having Coffee Together...<h3>
So letās say we are sitting by a fire with coffee in our
hands, talking. </h3>
I would have black coffee with either heavy whipping cream
(most natural state, of course!) Or topped with whipped coconut milk in the BPA free cans.
You know, the kind you have to scrape the hard stuff off the top and then whip
that up with cinnamon and a little vanilla extract! (Yum!!!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee Break</td></tr>
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Of course Iād be so happy to see you and ask you a million
questions and then Iād listen to you. But when it comes to my turn, this is
what Iād shareā¦</div>
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Iād tell you that I have been enjoying my parents visit this
past week. That I was counting down the minutes for my mom to walk through the
door on Christmas so I could see her and hug her. I've been praying so hard for her and am so thankful that her results came
back fairly decent. But now I am extra observant with both my parents. I see
how they are getting older. That they are a little slower, they tire faster and
easier, and my sweet energetic boys wear them out. And part of me starts to feel
sad because I know things wonāt always be this way forever, so I try my hardest to be forgiving, more mindful and remind myself to enjoy every minute. Iām not ready for these times to change just
yetā¦<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping fun! Maybe someday I'll start finding time to get make up on! </td></tr>
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Iād tell you that Jackson has been waking with nightmares
for two weeks. He wakes sobbing and it breaks my heart. When I ask whatās going
on, he tells me, ānofinā. Iām not sure whatās going on. The boys have both
survived an awful week of horrible colds and coughing through the night (and then gave it to me! I can't wait to get a full night's sleep), but
these nightmares are killer. Karl has been crawling in bed with Jackson to keep
him calm. Iām grateful we decided to go with the full bed versus the twin. I
find myself thanking God for bringing Karl into my life a lot lately. He sure was worth the
wait. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this kid!!!</td></tr>
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Iād tell you that Iām a little worried about how Jackson is
handling being a big brother. Heās amazing and caring and sweet, but he sure
misses all the attention. And he has this obsession with Nathanās hands and poking them, pinching
them, or shoving Nathanās fingers in his mouth and trying to bite them with his
lips. āItās not biting if I use my lips, mom,ā he tells me. He has no problem
throwing big pillows at Nathan when I turn away or ripping every single toy out
of Nathanās hand or plowing him over with toys or his own body. When Nathan
crawls in my lap, Jackson has to. When I play with Nathan, Jackson has to come
over and jump all over me. When I spend
too much time with Nathan, Jackson becomes whiny and clingy. Hoping this is
just a phase and Iām giving equal amounts of attention to both. Praying a lot about this one and giving this one to God. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loves his brother's hands</td></tr>
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Iād tell you that I still have about 30-some Christmas cards in my bag that I never sent out. I just canāt seem to get to them. And I lost my drive and desire to
send them out. This year I was able to address a few cards at a time every couple days and Nathan
would take them and drool on them and Jackson would scribble on them. As soon
as Iād get busy sealing, the boys would need me for something and the pile
would just sit. So I apologize if youāre still waiting on your card.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I'd tell you that Christmas was really great but it came and went so fast that it almost felt like any other day. Of course the morning of was magical and so much fun, but last year I was on maternity leave with Nathan and I felt like I was listening to Christmas music from the day he was born in October to the day I went back to work in January. There were lots of fires in the fireplace, snuggles and hot chocolate with Rumchata. This year it felt like we were running all over the place and I was catching my breath half the time or trying to fight off whatever bug the boys caught. Time sure goes FAST! We hosted Christmas this year and let me tell you...that is WORK! But I love family!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a few extra steps on Christmas!</td></tr>
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Iād tell you that I went shopping with my mom on Sunday and
it felt AMAZING. Itās been a long time since we have gone āfunā shopping. Itās
either been Costco or the grocery store for us when we get together. It felt like I came alive walking
around and trying on clothes. I remembered how much fun it is and better yet
when I actually get to try on something and it fits! I felt like I started to get
some of my style back! I'm getting there. Soon I'll introduce jewelry back into my life again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Iād tell you that my online Health and Fitness business is
doing really well. That my heart and soul is in this business and I have HUGE visions
and dreams for myself and for my team, and I know deep down I will go far with this business because I have belief and passion for what itās about ā helping others on their journey. I hit two star
diamond last week and have opened a second Business Center! I also have been invited to Leadership Training in
California. I WANT to go. I NEED to go... AND here begins the guilt of leaving my
boys. I feel it growing. I feel like Iām putting people out because I
need childcare. Will my boys miss me? Will Karl be annoyed by me? I HAVE to be
strong. I NEED to do this FOR ME.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I DID IT!!!!!!!!! I set a goal and DID IT and now I know I can do so much more!</td></tr>
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Iād tell you that my entire world has changed because of
<a href="https://christiekoester.wufoo.com/forms/mbnv36d1bw2ii5/" target="_blank">coaching</a> and the time Iāve spent working on myself. I always considered myself
a pretty happy, bubbly person and that I didnāt need to work on myself. But I
do! I am worth that much! I am worthy of feeling and being healthy and happy
and setting HUGE SCARY goals and going after them. I have a tendency of putting my needs
last or catering to everyone else, so you can imagine how AWESOME it felt to set
a goal of doing two workout programs from start to finish and then completing
them with great results!!! I felt like a new woman! I have always struggled
with saying ānoā to others or worrying what others might think of me, but Iām
REALLY starting to see a big change in my confidence and how I carry myself. I
have grown more in this year than a lot of years combined. I have read and
listened to a LOT of personal development too. I just went through my list earlier
today and I have read over 30 books this year alone. Before that, I had read one book in 2 years. One. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just some of the books I've read this year!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpV4nxikG44/VoRN98NmBnI/AAAAAAAAa-k/7fRqJnxDsWk/s1600/My%2Btransformation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vpV4nxikG44/VoRN98NmBnI/AAAAAAAAa-k/7fRqJnxDsWk/s400/My%2Btransformation.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21-day Fix and 21-Day Fix Extreme changed my body!</td></tr>
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Iād tell you that I havenāt even started Nathanās First Year
baby book and havenāt touched Jacksonās age 2-3 photo book. Iām so behind in
this stuff and at the same time, Iām OK with this because at least Iām getting
the photos in somewhat organized folders, so that has to count for something. I
figure that I can keep myself busy with this when the boys are in college and Iām
struggling with empty nesters syndrome. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And after all that, Iād take a sip of coffee and sink back
in my chair and feel the fire on my face and dream of heading to the beach<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102045180776056276.post-15531628066109185312015-12-17T20:43:00.000-06:002015-12-17T20:43:19.803-06:00Mom's Cancer Report from Mayo<span style="font-size: large;">Current Diagnoses: Stage 1 and Grade 1 Breast Cancer</span><br />
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First of all, you guys are amazing. Thank you! Thank you! I can't even thank you enough for the messages and texts and all the ways you have reached out to me (and my mom). Thank you SO much. Your prayers are working and we couldn't be more grateful. Thank you! Thank you! (If I could say it a million times, I would.) If I haven't responded yet, please don't think your message went unread. Each one has meant SO much to us!!! Like my mom told me, the messages are so encouraging and supportive but at the same time she just wanted to feel normal yesterday and get her head on right for today. So she cleaned the house.<br />
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It always feels weird being vulnerable - to put yourself out there. I'm never sure how things are going to come out or how people will perceive things, but I really wanted to share my mom's story because<br />
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1. I wanted all the prayers we could get for her. Prayer is incredibly powerful and can truly create miracles.<br />
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and<br />
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2. I wanted to make others aware that cancer doesn't discriminate and we need to be our own best advocates when it comes to our health. Maybe her story can save someone else.<br />
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With that said, my mom's results...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Doctor says GOOD.</span><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
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Stage 1</div>
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Grade 1 (lowest grade and slowest growing)</div>
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Estrogen Receptive - positive (score 4)</div>
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Progesterone Receptive - negative (score 0)</div>
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HER2/neu - negative</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The surgeon said that BEST case would be to have all of the reports come back positive (but I'm not sure that seems right after reading into it so if anyone has more info on this, send my way). They aren't 100% sure if it's in lymph nodes (as far as they can feel, it doesn't seem that way). They will do a MRI with dye. They aren't overly concerned so her next appointment is January 7 with oncologist and a radiologist. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Her options as of now until further testing is done are: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">1. lumpectomy </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">2. partial mastectomy </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">3. Full mastectomy (The first two options would require radiation).</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><br />
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Will keep you updated as we go. And I would love to hear your story if you have been through this. You can email me at christie.koester@gmail.com. Again, thank you for holding my mom (and all of us) in your prayers and for all your wonderful support. I can't thank you enough!!! For real. It's the most incredible feeling knowing you have a community of amazing people surrounding you. God is SO good.<br />
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Thank you.Christie Koesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09476034899055355019noreply@blogger.com0