Run, Julia, Run

Fitness New Years Resolution at a Glance

I am one of those people that when I get an idea in my head, no matter how crazy and unlike me it seems, I have to do it. When it comes to my body and how I like to keep it active I am more of a dancer but things like CrossFit and running in races really appealed to me because I was so heavy and out of shape that being able to run long distances and lift heavy weights seemed amazing!

I figured I could tackle doing a 5k over Crossfit and I tried my first 5k in 2012. Even though I was in pain, couldn't run or even power walk, I crossed the finish line a little under an hour. Then came a chance to do a 10k four months later, which I did not train for due to being distracted with a broken heart, but boy did I learn my lesson! The 10k took me almost two hours to complete. I really loved the energy of the local running community and decided that if I ever got a chance to register for a 5k or 10k I would do it!

In 2013, 30 pounds lighter thanks to Weight Watchers, clean eating, and some paleo, I did eight 5ks and one 10k. I invited one friend, who invited another friend, and another friend overheard us talking about the upcoming race and she jumped on board too. By years end our crew ranged from 8-10 people. I was so happy that my girlfriends were dedicated and excited for these races and it was super cute to see their supportive husbands join them too.

I was able to not only wog (walk/jog) all of my races but I was able to learn how to deal with various injuries. My ankle is still a little weak but I know how to listen to my body now and I am getting stronger. By the end of 2013 5ks took me 40 minutes (super close to 39 minutes) to complete and my 10k took me 1:28 to finish. Sharing those finish times is a bit embarrassing to me because it makes me feel less of a runner. But you know what? Screw that! Those finishing times represent the miles I logged in on my Nike app as I ran along West Cliff Drive with my dog. I would love to be able to say that I did a 5k in 20-25 minutes or something like that because that would make me feel like a legitimate runner. However, if it takes me 14 minutes or 7 minutes to do a mile it means that I still did it. That's something to be proud of.

Busy Bee

It has almost been a week since my family members bought me some amazing KitchenAid appliances. Today my little sister presented me with her Christmas present to me a KitchenAid Dish Drying Rack. That box went directly with the other boxes and it sat there all afternoon until my friend came into the house and told me that I needed to get myself together and start cooking things.

Jerk.

My kitchen needs to be more than clean. It needs to be organized and decluttered. But who has time for that?

The dish drying rack is now assembled and I threw away my old nasty one. My KitchenAid Stand Mixer is now on my counter and it looks completely glorious. I just need to figure out where I am going to store the food processor. I am currently waiting for The Pioneer Woman's second cookbook to arrive so I can make her Tequila Lime Chicken and Virgin Mango Margaritas (I don't drink). That is the recipe that I am going to use in order to break in my food processor. But I've been cooking up a storm this week and even tried my hand at homemade Vanilla Almond Milk. It needs more vanilla!

I will be taking some cookbooks to bed with me tonight and thinking of recipes I want to try out because I have a few gentleman that I need to cook dinner for seeing as they have spoiled me by cooking me dinner. You've gotta love a man that can cook though; it's a great look on them.

It has been a busy week but I love stealing moments on the couch with my baby girl Kaja. I miss sleeping in with her and cuddling while watching King of the Hill or Family Fued; she's more of a King of the Hill fan.

Kitchen Aid Queen

Last Friday my brother wanted to go on a Costco run and we went after we got off of work. I found it slightly odd that we weren't going his usual route to pick up his standard items and somehow I realized we were in the section with all the kitchen appliances.

Initially he was looking for a certain version of a Vitamix (the one we saw an amazing demonstration on a couple of weeks prior) and he split the beans: He did not need to go grocery shopping at all. He knew how much I loved the Vitamix and everybody chipped in to buy me one for Christmas but they no longer had it and now our only option was going to be ordering it online for a much more expensive price.

Being the frugal brat that I am I asked him if he would be entirely upset and offended if I got something else, which would be much cheaper than the Vitamix blender. He asked me what I was thinking and I walked up to the KitchenAid Stand Mixer and hugged it. He wanted to make sure that it was what I absolutely wanted and my sister called his name and just nodded her head. In fact, she said that she knew for a fact that I would use the KitchenAid more than the Vitamix. He grabbed the box, put it in the cart, and I started crying. *Clean up on aisle 35!*

He asked if I wanted to walk up and down the aisle to make sure there wasn't anything else that I wanted more than the mixer which I just laughed at but I took a little stroll. Then I saw a food processor and I was like, "Balls." Now I was torn because I "need" one of those. A friend that is currently staying with us knows how much I want one and he tells me all the time, "Julie, I've been keeping an eye out for a food processor but I can't find any." Of course, I tell him he doesn't need to buy me one but he chipped in and bought the food processor for me. More tears and hugs. It is my Christmas gift but the gratitude and meaning behind it means a lot to me. Of course baked goods and home cooked meals are now expected from these folks but it's okay because I love family time.

When the cashier began to ring us up the bagger asked, "Wow, who is this for?" With slightly teary eyes I meekly pointed to myself. He was pretty impressed and said, "That's so awesome. I never realized how valuable these were until recently, I hope you enjoy it." There may or may have not been some flirting but I blame it on being shocked and wanting to get my appliances home! Hahaha.

We got home and my boxes were placed in the kitchen, every one went their separate ways except for my brother and he asked me, "So...are you going to cook anything?" I looked at him and laughed because he thought I was going to go Betty Crocker and make dinner. Silly brother, IOU.

Everett Family Farm Stand

Kirsten and I.

This past July I did a little house and pet sitting and the owner's home was absolutely beautiful. It was the highlight of my entire summer and I still have tan lines to prove how many hours were spent in the sun since they had a swimming pool. *sigh* It was magnificent but enough with the nostalgia. Whenever I would head back into town from said house I kept seeing a sign for a family farm stand and decided that I wanted to check it out. Displayed in this charming and rustic barn are flowers and organic/seasonal produce that is local; in fact you can see what is growing in their fields as you drive up. I had to go back the next day because I didn't have cash but I brought a friend with me and she fell in love with it too. It is all done on the honor system. You write down what you took, how much, add up the cost, and drop the money in a box. 

Last Day of Summer Vacation

I have been back a few times and I always buy a few things just because I want to support this family and love this idea. It's a beautiful drive and the produce and set up are extremely picturesque.

For my last day of Summer Vacation I went with a friend and I bought a ton of dahlia's and strawberries which I made strawberry jam out of. It was my first time and I did it by myself while I flirted with a handsome man via texting. I was not paying attention but it still tasted good despite the complete mess I made. Whoops. *blush*

Pumpkin Picking

As I mentioned before this farm stand is seasonal so in the next month or so they will be slowing down and then closing up until probably March or April. Just in case I can't make it up there anytime soon I decided to go back one last time with my mom (who loves to take photographs) and my sister because she had no choice in the matter but she thought it was pretty cool.

I picked my pumpkin, took some pictures, and will look forward to going back to see what delicious things they have in store for us next Spring.

Life is meant to be enjoyed. Seek out the light and make memories. There are many good ones for me here.

Beth and Clyde's Kitchen - Blog Name Change

I finally found a way to honor both of my grandparents and so naturally there is now a blog name change. Beth and Clyde are the middle names of my grandparents and it kind of reminds me of "Bonnie and Clyde", hahaha. Okay, that is all. Please go about your business now.

Xoxo,
Julia

Introduction and Purpose

My name is not Clara Beth, it's Julia. Clara Beth is a real person, she is my Grandmother. If you want to split hairs she is my step grandmother and she has been since I was eight years old. She passed away almost five years ago and I miss her. A lot.

My paternal and maternal grandparents lived in Mexico and I rarely got to see them but My grandma and grandpa were near by and not only welcomed my brother and I into their family when my mother married their son but they loved us as one of their own. The love that they freely gave was actually very overwhelming for me to handle as a child and I almost did not know how to deal with it at first.

Just so we understand, I love my paternal and maternal grandparents. They went through a lot to provide for their families. They are my flesh and blood and I owe them everything. They provided for their children so they could have a better life and those children provided for their future families, my generation, and we have been blessed and have had amazing opportunities from all the sacrifices they made. So I do not want to make it seem like I favor one family over the other. There actually is a reason why I picked "Clara Beth's Kitchen" for my blog. 

Socioeconomically speaking my life improved almost immediately when we became a family. I went from having to move several times in my childhood to having roots in a safe neighborhood free of gang violence and having access to great schools. I grew up and live in a beautiful beach town with a laid back and diverse atmosphere. I have been blessed but unhappy because of some lies that I was buying into.

I kept buying into this lie that life would equal happiness when I was skinny, when I was married, and when I had my own family. That made for some painful wrestling matches in my mind and misery because I'm 30, single, never married, and do not have children. My life is not even close to what I was expecting. Right before 2013 I realized enough was enough, I needed a serious change of perspective because I was tired of not being happy. Naturally the children leave the nest but in this family it has been backwards. My mother remarried and moved out and us kids are still here.The past six months or so I have had the power to make this house over however I wanted to and decided that I needed to stop waiting for happiness to be a future event or within another person; it needs to come from within myself and it is an act that happens in the present to set you up for your happy tomorrows but it has only been a couple of months where I have actively been pursing happiness in the moment.

It is like the movie Under The Tuscan Sun, a personal favorite, where Frances is crying to her handsome realtor and friend about how she is so stupid for buying her big house and what if she never has anybody to cook for or nobody to live in her house. He asks her why she did it and she said because she still wants things. She wants a wedding at her house, she wants a family, she wants all of these things. She is afraid it will never happen. As the film progresses she begins to find inner happiness and she attracts all her wants. The movie ends with her house being filled with family, hosting the wedding of close friends, she has become this great cook, and she realized she got every single wish. Maybe not in a way she had expected but it made her incredibly happy.

I have realized how loved I am and how much I love my close knit family and friends. It is fulfilling. There is no other way to explain it. I still live in the house I grew up in but it is also the house that Clara Beth raised her large family in along with her husband. She was a wonderful baker and he is a great cook, they have a reputation for these things. So I may not have that husband and a litter of ankle biters but I have this kitchen that belonged to Clara Beth and I cook and bake in it and sometimes other people cook but gathered at the kitchen table are my family and friends where we eat, talk, play games, listen and sing along to music, we laugh late into the night sometimes, and it is a beautiful thing.

This blog is not going to be solely about cooking in fact I never intended it to be about recipes and tutorials on how to make this dish or that dessert; it will happen though. It will be about whatever makes me extremely happy in that moment and lately it has been moments in Clara Beth's Kitchen. I want to share everything that I am striving towards, things that make me...me and at my very core is this woman that I miss a lot. Without the influence of my grandparents I do not know who I would have become and I am thankful for all they have given me and I am realizing that I love my beautiful life.