Bittersweet

This post is completely off-topic and more to let you readers know what's happening in my life.

This week has been filled with good and bad news and everything inbetween.

First I found out that because of some medical problems that have returned after a year, I will not be able to continue my service here and will be going home in May. Therefore, I need a new name for my blog! 

Help me come up with ideas over these next 2 months...please!

I immediately became stressed thinking of all I have to get done here, plus finding a job and a car and working on a visa. But, I know it'll all work out and everything will be fine. 

Then I turned 25. And the doom really set in. That is, until my boyfriend proposed! :)

Now I'm engaged to the love of my life and couldn't be happier! It'll be hard being apart from him for like 5-6 months (hopefully that's it), but in the end it'll all be worth it.

That's all thats been happening in my life. My lent commitment to exercise went to the wayside with all the stress and trying to get things in order, so I'm hoping to get back to that soon, I just need to finish processing these big, big, big changes in my life right now!

Kick Start to a Day!

I had to share because I decided to experiment and it actually turned out yummy!


Banana Bread Oatmeal


Instant Oatmeal, plain
Banana, mushed
Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Honey to liking


Boil water and mix with oatmeal to get desired consistency. Mix mushed up banana with cinnamon and nutmeg to your liking. Add banana mixture to cooked oatmeal. Add honey. Stir and enjoy!

Sacrificing

This is the time of year when we all "give up" something for 40 days. To sacrifice. 


A lot of time I try to give up bread or pasta or soda or whatever food that I like to eat.


This year I'm doing it a little differently. I'm going to (attempt) to exercise for 40 days. Even if it's going for a walk, doing some jumping jacks or a full blown workout with (homemade) weighs and everything. 


It may not be sacrificing, in the exact term of the word, but it will give me some discipline and motivation to keep it up.


Along with the exercise, I'm going to stick to my new year's resolutions that have gone kinda to the way-side. 


What are you going to "give up" or do differently for lent?


On a different note, I've been making some good food lately! I've been inventive!


I made some Coconut Curry Chicken...yumm! :)


I took a pretty basic recipe from an online search and changed it up some.


Chicken (as needed)
Coconut Milk (about 1/2 the can)
Shredded Coconut (as you like)
Carrots, Green Beans, Onion, Bell Peppers, chopped
Garlic, diced
Curry seasoning


Cook garlic and onions in a little bit of olive oil. Add chicken until cooked. Then add veggies, coconut milk, curry seasoning and shredded coconut. Simmer until the veggies are cooked. (I served it over rice!)


Then as it goes living in another country without many resources to just go get whatever you want to eat, you get cravings for weird things. Lately it's been waffles. However, I don't have a waffle maker and they are too expensive to buy for a craving. I improvised and made french toast with bacon (big splurge)!


Just As Delicious!


Nicole's Super Easy French Toast!

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Cinnamon & Sugar
4 Slices of bread


Break eggs into a bowl, add milk and cinnamon and sugar to your liking. Beat them like you're making scrambled eggs. Heat a griddle (or in my house a skillet). Coat the slices of bread in the egg mixture and then put immediately in skillet. Cook about 3-4 mins (until eggs are done). Serve with honey. YUMM!

This weekend is a big fiesta in my town! There's a dance, a parade with horses and people horseback riding through my town. Along with a lot of food and fun! There's also a competition to be the Queen of Sta. Elena and of course I"m a contestant! HA! It's all by luck, but I'm pretty lucky, so we'll see :)


Because I'm a contestant, a few of us have decided to do a country-ish dance and of course they picked the song Cotton-Eyed Joe, brings me back to being in elementary school. Hopefully it all turns out ok! There will be plenty of pictures to come!! :)


Good luck on your lenten sacrifices and I hope you all have a great weekend!

I know that I keep saying I'll get back on the bandwagon for good. Well, there seems to always be something that throws me right back off.


This last time was whats called the Close of Service conference. Basically the end of my 27 months as a volunteer here. It was held in a really nice hotel that has amazing breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks. I fell. Hard. Into. Food.


It happens. Live and learn. I did go the gym while there and it was heaven! Oh how I miss the gym. I took a 6am Zumba class and let me tell you. If you're intimidated in the US, don't come to Latin America where the instructor (male) can move his hips 290842903842 times better then you can. It was really entertaining and he just kept saying "mas! mas! MAS!" (more) no matter how much you shook your hips!


It was a lot of fun to see everyone from my group again and to be able to spend time our one last time together. Hopefully, I'll have another year here. *crosses fingers*


So now, I'm back in town, getting to work with my last 2 months of time and trying to behave myself. It's hard. I asked for a heart rate monitor for my birthday, so that way I can accurately calculate my calories burned. I just need to get it and then get to the exercising part.


This week I'm going to experiment and make curry chicken. YUMM! I have some fresh coconut and am going to try to add some different elements (maybe mango and pineapple)!


Here's to get back on track..for the 100th time.