How to jump: a step-by-step guide

Hello and welcome to the step-by-step guide on “How to Jump”.

Step 1: Sit down

Now I know what you’re thinking, “sitting down? Isn’t that the complete opposite of what we are trying to accomplish here?”

And the answer is yes and no. The jumping we are learning today in this step-by-step guide is not one of aerobic qualities, but more in the mental jumping through hoops variety. So, back to step one.

It has been awhile. A “I haven’t written to the blog in over a year and may or may have not forgotten about it” while. It’s also been a “my baby is almost 7 months old and I don’t know what to do anymore” situation. Sitting was and is always necessary, except when you’re holding a baby they only like it when you stand.

But when it comes to learning how to jump, it’s important to sit and take a moment. Whether that moment be a meditative minute or a productive hour take some time and breathe and realign and just figure out what’s going on.

Step 1 can take time before moving onto Step 2 and must be revisited often. To be honest, I think I’m just now moving into Step 2 and that’s a big maybe.

Step 2: Find your mojo

When it comes to jumping I needed to learn what makes me happy, excited, and ready to move forward. What makes each day “jumpable”?

Sweet Angel Baby

Like so many, postpartum kicked my butt and depending on the day still kicking. I had a hard time adjusting to the New Life of Victoria post my sweet angel baby. I had all the classic expectations of once my baby was born. In short, these expectations included sunshine, rainbows, washed hair and much more “jumpable” qualities. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I’ve had to learn how to be me again. Hard. I could remember all the things that pre-pregnant Victoria loved. She loved to run, be outside, and write. And post pregnant Victoria didn’t think she would be able to find the time, energy or mental capacity to do any of those once loved things.

Like all things I’ve needed to take baby steps to find my mojo. I obviously couldn’t take off running, thanks pregnancy and ice cream, but I could go outside and go on walks with my baby. This was a game changer.

I was beginning to find “jumpable” moments which are slowly turning into “jumpable” days.

Step 3: Alternate between Step 1 and Step 2

While the basic jumping jack is pretty straight forward, jumping back into some form of normal and feeling like yourself it takes more time, trial and error and learning what works.

While some nights I go to bed determined to make the next day the absolute best, morning me has other plans. Those plans general result in me going back to Step 1 and try to make it through so I can make it to Step 2.

Well that does it, in three, not so easy steps, you can learn how to jump. Good luck.

Have I been betrayed?

After months of walking, being able to feel the walls on either side of me with my arms outstretched, claustrophobic, in the dark, and there at the end of the tunnel, there was light.

In simpler terms, I got a job.

In the last 8 months, I’ve applied to 50+ jobs and no luck.

And it was hard.

But here I am employed and completely at peace with life. All sunshine and rainbows.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

I’m stressed, anxious, worried, on the verge of tears the majority of the time.

And I feel awful that I feel this way. It makes me frustrated. I should be happy that I got the job and doing what I’ve been wanting to do since I graduated.

But life is hard and change is hard.

There is a learning curve and I’m on the upward climb. It’s a steep climb.

I’m getting used to the new environment and the differences in how things are run, but I’m terrified.

Maybe it’s my mixture of being scared to ask questions and for others to hear the weakness in my voice.

People always say, oh if you have any trouble feel free to ask any questions. The amount of courage it takes to ask 1 simple question is astronomical.

With getting so worked up over asking for help, I am essentially just making everything else so much harder for myself. Awesome.

It’s hard getting something you’ve waited so long for and you’re not in love with it right away.

It feels like I’ve been betrayed.

But I’m not going to give up. Like I’ve said I’ve waited too long for this.

It’s a slow process, but I’m inching my way along at becoming more comfortable in my work environment.

Inching slowly.

I’m ready to use my brain, to be productive, to learn, to work, to be busy, and to interact with people other than my favorite bakers on Netflix.

It’s a constant battle in a very confined space. I hate it.

But on we go.

Even if it gets dark,

cramped,

confusing,

and full of thorns.

Best to go forward than going back and doing all the awful again, right?

Above from left to right: Lentil festival, Trail next to our apartment, Mountain biking.

A new blank canvas

Hello.

How’s the weather? Anything new? Been busy?

Well, let me tell you I’ve been on a journey. Since my most recent post, we’ve kicked off the summer, done all sorts of hiking, swimming, firework watching, roller-coaster riding, ice cream eating, and driving. lots and lots of driving.

 

 

*pictures above from left to right* Last day of Dollywood, trail sign for the Appalachian trail, Matthew on top of Clingman’s dome

During this time all sorts of things have changed and plenty of things have remained the same.

Things that have remained the same:

• Matthew
• love for anything chocolate
• still no job

Things that have changed:

• city
• apartment
• type of cereal in the cabinet

Situated in our new piece of eastern Washington all we have before us is a blank canvas of new opportunities and experiences.

As of now, we aren’t really sure of all the fun and cool things to do, but we are getting pretty good at finding places that offer free wifi until we get internet of our own and that’s exciting at times.

But let me tell you, change is hard. It’s hard to remember the times when you have to hunt for furniture all over again and restock your kitchen until you’re there and in the middle of it all.

Then you want to nap. Which I have done, a lot.

But then you wake up, rub the crusty out of your eyes, and get started again. Then you remember all it took to get you there and everything that you’ve overcome and experienced along the way.

 

 

These past few months have been filled with so many new adventures and “first-time visits” for the both of us and it’s incredible.

I got to keep telling myself that if we can visit 13 states, sleep in a few parking lots, climb in the dome of a couple state capitols, and take our time to enjoy this beautiful country, then we can handle living in a new city and starting over.

 

 

Even if it’s hard and you want to give up just remember you can nap it out and pick up where you left off.

Nothing is wrong with a nap.

Believe me.

Not always perfect

June 21st marked the first day of summer.

It also marked a year and 2 months of Matthew and being married and the beginning of the days becoming shorter and shorter.

But even though the first day of summer kicked off yesterday, it doesn’t mean that we’ve been without the summer fun for the past month.

We’ve had strawberry pies, gotten free doughnuts, and let Matthew experience his first Atlanta Braves game.

For the longest time, I’ve been waiting for summer. I’ve had this perfect idea sunshine, bike rides, hikes, and sweet treats. That’s what summer is about, right?

What I found out in my perfect idea of summer is that mixed in between are rainy/overcast days, days weighed down by anxiety and headaches, and days with last minute changes.

Those days of inconvenience, at the moment, make you think that the perfect idea of summer is out the window and you’re left more disappointed than excited for those warm, perfectly planned out days.

Side note: this is how I feel about my own birthday. I build up the idea and when expectations aren’t met, then I’m disappointed and upset. Might as well not get excited about something so you’re not upset in the end.

I’m learning that this isn’t the way to take on the days ahead.

If I want to have that “perfect summer” I need to have the mindset that not every day is going to be perfect.

And that’s ok.

Those days where my headaches and anxiety make me just want to lay in bed and sleep, make me so grateful for the days where I want to be out hiking and mountain biking.

Summer thus far has been pretty rad.

Definition of rad summer: days both good and bad during the warm summer months.

We’ve traveled, biked, hiked, swam, paddled, ran, walked, laughed, and overall a great time.

And we have plans for more as the summer continues.

What are your favorite things to do in the summer?

It’s hard not to build up this grand idea of what you want your life to be and how every second should lay out. And it’s also hard not to give up when things don’t go exactly to plan.

Take the summer day by day.

Enjoy the good days and remember that the bad days won’t last forever.

And have a great summer.

On your mark, get set, go!

I thought once I came back to writing I would have months and months of content all lined up and ready to go.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

I’m sitting in a shaded room, trying to conjure up the words for an epic comeback and be fueled with the excitement of something to do again, but words of epic proportions just aren’t coming to me.

So, hi.

I’m back.

These past few weeks have been busy, fun, and blog free.

But like all breaks, they must eventually come to an end and you pick back up stronger than before, right?

Here’s to hoping so.

I’m excited to be back and to share content again.

One of the biggest things that we’ve accomplished over these past few weeks in driving across the country.

I knew that I didn’t want this experience to go undocumented, so click on the video below and get a taste of our trip.

Here goes nothing for a new start to the same blog.

 

 

I give up

I’m fresh out of words and motivation.

I don’t know what to do.

I apologize to a couple posts ago Victoria, who had such motivation and determination for this new month.

I’m sorry.

But I think it’s time that I just come right out with it, I’m giving up on the month of May.

Giving up may be a harsh way to put it, it’s more of a break.

Yes, a break from the blog, because I feel like I’m failing miserably at it. It is time for me to take a step back, come up with some new fresh ideas and get through driving across the country without worrying about the words I’m going to post.

I’ll be back in June, I promise.

For now, I just need some time.

Time to wrap my head around what I want to do next in my life.

Time to figure out our road trip across the country.

And the time to enjoy the company of those around me.

See y’all in June.

I promise.

Hopefully, this episode of Good Mythical Morning will hold you over until I get back.

Summer obsessed

Spring is starting to feel a lot like summer.

Those slightly warm days are turning into hot days and being in direct sunlight isn’t as enjoyable as it once was.

As the summer weather starts to set in I’m realizing some key summer essentials that I know I’ll be obsessed with.

Sandals (Tevas specifically)

Summer calls for sandals, that’s a given, but you can’t have an enjoyable summer unless you have the proper footwear and Tevas are by far the best footwear for summer.

Believe me.

These shoes I’ve had for at least 10 years and they have been wonderful the entire time. They are perfect for warm summer days, walking in creeks, hiking, amusement parks, you name it they are the perfect shoe.

You can order some sweet summer sandals here

Kavu (my go-to bag)

I’ve never been much of a purse person. I see bags that I think are cute, but when it comes to carrying things around I just opt to hold them in my hand.

Bags for me just always seem bulky and in the way and they’ve never really ever stuck for me.

Well, I’ve been converted and found a bag that has changed the game.

Kavu is a company that creates outdoor wear, bags, and wallets and they do a great job at it.

This bag is perfect for day hikes. I can fit the necessary things inside and also strap my water bottle right onto the rope strap.

Even though I’m more of an “I don’t want to match everyone” type person, I would recommend and suggest anybody and everybody to give this bag a try.

Water, water, water

I love drinking water whether it’s in the summer, winter, fall, spring any time of year I love water.

My water vessel of choice is Nalgene water bottles. They are the most reliable, sturdy, and best bottle out there.

The best part about Nalgene is the ability to customize the color and type of bottle you would like. And I’m guaranteed to get my needed water for the day with this bottle.

They are the best.

Sweet treats

Easter candy is superior of all other candies. It’s a proven fact.

And I know for certain that if an M&M is pastel in color it will taste at least 97% better.

So my latest sweet treat obsession is caramel M&Ms. They are the perfect sweet bite and the best treat to have on the go this summer.

I ate a whole bag last week, they are good.

With these summer obsessions, I think I’m ready to defeat any goal that I’ve made at the beginning of this year, even the ones that are a little harder.

Matthew and I set a goal at the beginning of the year.

Along with our own personal new years resolutions, we decided that we wanted to be sure that we stayed active and outdoors.

So we turned towards hiking.

This year we plan to hike 50 miles.

And to be honest it’s starting out pretty slow.

We’ve done 3 hikes this year reaching a grand total of almost 10 miles.

The hikes have been beautiful, fun, and a great time to experience the outdoors, but maybe it’s time we up our mileage just a little bit.

What are your favorite hikes?

I’m always open to trying new hikes especially since we will be moving around and giving new places a try these next few weeks.

With my go-to summer obsessions on hand and miles of hiking in my future, I think I’m ready for this summer.

At least for all the fun parts.

5 ways to satisfy your sweet tooth

Whoever says that they have a sweet tooth, they’re probably lying.

There is no possible way to have just one sweet tooth. I would say there has to be at least maybe 4 or 5 or in my case my entire mouth.

And with a mouth always craving something sweet I needed to learn how to bake and quick to get my sugary, chocolatey, sweet fix.

With my growing experience in trying new things and baking away, I’ve narrowed down my top 5 sweet dishes that I’ve created thus far.

Check out these 5 amazingly sweet recipes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are to die for!

They hold the perfect chewy texture that I want in a cookie and with the number of chocolate chips I jam into these cookies it is the ULTIMATE chocolate chip cookie.

I recently wrote about the process (recipe in link) of making these cookies and I will say it’s an easy recipe but a process no less.

Want cookie perfection? Always chill the dough before cooking, at least an hour or so.

Strawberry Pie

When I think of summers in Georgia I think of strawberry pie. A nice cool slice, piled high with whipped cream, and the crunch of a graham cracker crust it really is the food of the heaven

I never thought that I could pull off this pie. It always was a treat when my dad would make it on Sunday afternoons in the summer and there was nothing I could do to match that.

For this recipe, all you need is:

• graham cracker crust
• 1 lb of strawberries
• 1 container of strawberry glaze
• 1 8 oz tub of cool whip

First, you would wash and then cut all the strawberries. Cut off all the stems and then cut strawberries either into halves or fourths.

Once the strawberries are cut place into graham cracker crust. I just use a store bought crust and it hits the spot, but if you’re feeling a little more adventurous then feel free to make your own crust.

With the strawberries in the crust then pour the strawberry glaze on top. You will probably use all of the glaze.

Strawberry Pie-Victoria Fowler

After the pie is glazed I would suggest placing the pie in the refrigerator to let the glaze set and the pie to cool down even more.

After about an hour of chilling, you can take out the pie and then top with the delicious cool whip (this is my favorite part).

Then feel free to dig in.

This pie is perfect for the summer and a great dessert and sometimes I even justify it to work for breakfast as well, there is fruit in it.

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

We were a couple days into October when I started asking Matthew what type of cake he would like for his birthday.

And Matthew said,

“I think a cinnamon cake would be good.”

What was I supposed to do with this information? Cinnamon cake? I didn’t really know where to begin. So I turned to Pinterest.

I was able to find a cinnamon crumb coffee cake and decided to give her a try, with Matthew’s approval.

I’m generally not a cake making person, but it was Matthew’s birthday and a cake needed to be made.

Making this cake was easy and didn’t need an electric mixer which was helpful since we didn’t own one just yet.

One struggle I did come across was getting the cake out of the pan with the crumb top, crumbs went everywhere.

To give the cake an extra sweetness I made a quick icing to drizzle on top.

The cake was delicious and a lot of fun to make. I did think it was a little dense in some bites, but that’s all due to my cake making abilities and it probably would taste better with a warm drink of some sorts.

The recipe for this delicious cake can be found here.

Blueberry Biscuits

First of all, these biscuits were kind of laughable to make. I think that was all because nothing seemed like it was going right.

It was a mess.

But for how messy and crazy these biscuits seemed they tasted oh so good.

Once I had the dough mixed and made the recipe told me to gently fold in the blueberries. With how sticky this dough turned out there is no way there would be any gentle folding. It was more like roughly squishing these blueberries into the dough.

This is what it was supposed to look like.

There was no hope to nice cut out these biscuits either, but I managed to get them into somewhat orderly shapes and get them into the oven.

While in the oven I whipped up the suggested lemon glaze and I had a feeling that these biscuits were going to be magic.

These biscuits had more of a scone texture than a muffin, but still wonderful all around and is still one of my favorite things to make.

Check out these crazy biscuits here.

Double Chocolate Cookies

These cookies hit the chocolate mother load.

Double chocolate cookies are probably ranked as my new favorite type of cookie and what makes them even better is how easy they are to make.

Like I mentioned with the chocolate chip cookies chilling this dough is essential. With chilling cookie dough, it helps from the cookie spreading too much and gives you the perfect chewy cookie.

With the amount of cocoa powder and chocolate chips in this one single cookie, you’re going to need lots of milk to wash it down. But that makes for the perfect cookie experience.

I do love chocolate and if you love chocolate click here for this amazing recipe.

What is your favorite sweet treat?

Baking is my favorite thing. I love perfecting dishes that I enjoy and learning new dishes to create.

Give me a few months and we will see if my top 5 stays intact or if I find some new sweet treats to up in the ranks.

Now I’m hungry.

I may have lost the map

It’s been a week.

This can either mean that it’s been a rough week where all you can say in an exasperated voice is that it was a week for the books or it could mean just what it is a week.

Plain and simple. Well sort of.

It has been a week since I’ve written, worked out, and since we’ve moved.

And I’m exhausted.

But here we are a good bit of the way in a new month and I’m supposed to have a fresh spring in my step, right?

Unfortunately, no.

I’m stuck in the transition — a state of confusion and waiting.

From the looks of it, this must be my favorite spot.

Apparently, not knowing much of the next step in life is what I enjoy the most, seems like it, huh?

Well, it’s aggravating. The transition, the unknown, the lack of control, it’s not all that fun.

So, here’s to the month of May, to gain control over the transition, at least to some degree.

Even if I am spending my time in new places, doing new things, and ingrained in a different timeline entirely, I need to get back to the basics.

And the biggest basic of them all would be writing. With just taking a week break from sitting down and putting some thoughts together, I felt like I’ve given up on something that I’ve worked so hard to build.

The month of May is a busy one. With traveling upwards of 42 hours within the month, new states, family, and friends, it would just make sense not to write on my normal schedule.

But I can’t let it slip up, because if I can make 1 excuse easily then the next month and the month after that will be nothing but excuses.

I can already see it, believe it’s a very typical Victoria move.

For me to overcome and beat the transition before it beats me I need to do what I’ve always been doing. I can’t let the possibility of something different keep me from my own goals and outcomes I want from my life.

I may not have a road map for how everything will turn out and how I’ll get past this specific point in my life, but I do know what will keep me on the road.

Sidenote: I’ve been applying for any job under the sun (still), not only to make a little extra cash but to keep me busy and to keep my skills fresh. And still with no luck I haven’t found THE job just yet.

Any remote job suggestions? Something that I can do from anywhere while we are traveling around and figuring things out?

I feel like I’ve been in this state of transition since I quit my job back in January.

*And I very well probably have been*

But it’s time to get things back on track. I’m not going to let the craziness of the month of may, long road trips, and nothing entirely permanent keep me from staying sane.

The stress and anxiety of the unexpected won’t make my days rocky and not let me enjoy the moment that I’m in.

I’m back.

Tastes bittersweet to me

I have a love-hate relationship with packing.

It’s like a mini Christmas, but just with your own things and making sure everything has a place is therapeutic.

The problem is the awkward, everything is destroyed, middle phase.

I hate this phase.

Here’s how it goes (in 5 easy steps):

Step 1: start going through one box in the closet

Step 2: finish this box, put aside

Step 3: begin a new box of things and packing

Step 4: halfway through the new box, start another project

Step 5: start another project so there is really no order, rhyme, or reason

As you can see, I did this all to myself and I continue to do it to myself every single time I move. It’s inevitable.

If only I had the powers of Mary Poppins and just snap, snap, snap, and everything is perfect, if only.

But here I am sitting in the middle of a giant mess, trying to make some sense of it all. And then I go and start a new project.

That has to be it. my inability to just focus on the ONE project at hand. I want to multi-task and do all the things at once and I’m realizing (just now, I know…) this isn’t how I need to do this specific task.

 

No need to worry though, by the time Tuesday rolls around the apartment is clean, our stuff will be packed and we will be heading out.

Our first walk through our apartment

Hopefully.

The plan is to get it back to this empty, clean, beauty.

 

Although as ready as I am to move and get out of Rexburg, Idaho, I will miss it.

Just last night as Matthew and I were getting ready for bed, it really hit me that we won’t be back in our first little apartment.

It’s time for us to move on and it is weird.

But also exciting and new and nerve-wracking and scary and strange and awesome and good.

Change is good.

Leaving is hard.

I’ve got to admit that I’ve been wanting to leave Rexburg for a long time and now that I’m at the point where I’m leaving and not planning to come back, it’s bittersweet.

I’ve had some of the best memories, made the best friends, and had the most incredible experiences in this little town in southeastern Idaho.

But here is to the new.

Here’s to being able to clean and pack and not go completely crazy.

And here’s to trying all sorts of new things.

Moving somewhere new, meeting new people, and getting out of my comfort zone, it’ll be a story for the books for sure.

What are your best moving tips?

There is still a lot of unknowns ahead of us. When is there not? But I’m ready for this next chapter of our lives.

It’s going to be sweet.

So, here goes nothing.