Weekend Bliss

Who doesn't wait for the weekend and rightly so, it's a time to relax, rejuvenate and recharge those batteries! I had a great one this time around. Friday night I got to spend time with good friends and went to a lovely local winery on Saturday. Today was my favorite day of all though, I got the chance to relax and go to one of my favorite places, the Eugene public library! I also cleaned my apartment from top to bottom-it's completely sparkling now. I even scrubbed down the cupboards in the kitchen. It feels so good to be in a clean and organized place. I am also sharing some pictures that were taken of me last week at work by my former intern Ryan. He brought in his state of the art camera and snapped these shots.

Here is just one of my sitting at the news desk!



Laughing up a storm



Before the show!

Just At The Right Time

I bring up Mike Dooleys notes from the Universe again and again because they are truly amazing and wonderful bits of love that can benefit your life.

If you want to sign up go to Tut.com (they are free)

In the introduction for one of his books he instructs readers to flip to any page in the book randomly and see how it applies to them specifically. Amazingly the notes that he sends out have different meanings to me on different days. Sometimes he is so spot on that it is scary.

Is this coincidence or another one of Gods Winks? Take yesterday for example when I really really needed to hear this.


It wasn't ever supposed to hurt, Natasha. You weren't ever supposed to cry. And I never dreamed you'd sometimes feel so helpless.
Yet, as things have turned out, lots of folks have trouble getting out of bed on cold, dark mornings.
Anyhow, Natasha, should there also be the occasional pain, tear, or touch of sadness beyond that, please realize these were anticipated, bargained for, and even sought after. As each would illuminate your resiliency, prove your strength, and help you blast through every flimsy notion that would otherwise keep you from seeing that even now I hold you in the palm of my hand and that all things are possible.

Such a deal,
The Universe

Yep- that's not just random

The Small Voice

Where you are right now .. It's exactly where you're meant to be. Trust the process.

Oh how true is this saying? But, how many of us actually believe it. It's so so hard when are in the thick of things to see that perhaps it is best for you. That God is showing you a lesson or making you stronger or paving the way for something bigger and better to come into your life. I see this now as truer than ever. Have you ever taken time to listen to that small still voice inside of you. The one that when you ask a question comes bubbling to the surface but we shove aside?

Call it what you will, intuition, Gods voice or something but if we listened to it more it would guide us and teach us.

It's up to you to listen..About a week ago I asked God for a sign about a decision I was grappling with and now I have it. Though the sign may be painful it's a sign you are on the right path in life. For those of you who feel as though you cannot ask the Universe for what you want, I urge you to try it. Every single time I have--the answer has presented itself in one form or the other.

Ask and it's given. As hokey as it sounds it has come true over and over again in my life.

Skype!

Skype! Where have you been my entire life!

A friend of mine suggested I use it and after a simple download, I was ready to go. The instructions are very simple and it's quite user friendly. I was able to add a friend in Denver and my family as well. I was a little concerned as to how the quality would be but, it's amazing! I can talk in my normal voice and don't have to yell and it was no problem.

I was so excited to skype with my family. The whole family got together and we talked for about an hour. I was able to show them my apartment, pictures and even some new clothes that I recently bought. I Love SKYPE! I cannot believe I didn't know about it or experiment with it before--it has literally changed my life and for a news orphan who is far away from everyone she loves, it is a true miracle! And to top things off it's FREE...! Whoo hoo...find of the YEAR!

When God Winks

What are your thoughts on coincidences? Most of the time we don't think of them as anything but that--a mere coincidence. But what if they were much more? What if they were "Gods Winks" to you. A way of telling you whether you were on the right path?
Think about it--if you were God and you wanted to communicate with humans without words how would you do it? How about coincidences and signs? This is the subject of a facinating book I am reading now called "When God Winks" and it explores this theory.

Think about these coincidences in life.

On 2002, Seventy-year-old twin brothers have died within hours of one another after separate accidents on the same road in northern Finland. The first of the twins died when he was hit by a lorry while riding his bike in Raahe, 600 kilometres north of the capital, Helsinki. He died just 1.5km from the spot where his brother was killed. “This is simply a historic coincidence. Although the road is a busy one, accidents don’t occur every day,” police officer Marja-Leena Huhtala told Reuters. “It made my hair stand on end when I heard the two were brothers, and identical twins at that. It came to mind that perhaps someone from upstairs had a say in this,” she said.

In 1930s Detroit, a man named Joseph Figlock was to become an amazing figure in a young (and, apparently, incredibly careless) mother’s life. As Figlock was walking down the street, the mother’s baby fell from a high window onto Figlock. The baby’s fall was broken and Figlock and the baby were unharmed. A year later, the selfsame baby fell from the selfsame window, again falling onto Mr. Figlock as he was passing beneath. Once again, both of them survived the event.

Have you had a God Wink Today?

A is for Ashram!

ASHRAM! Do you know what that is? I am learning so much about them while reading "Eat Pray Love" which I am sure by now you are getting sick of me talking about. The book is fantastic. Little nuggets of wisdom and purity wrapped inside a story that is both compelling and achingly sad. I want to write like Elizabeth Gilbert! Her words are simple but crafted together so well. I learn not only from her story but also the way she writes. Her style is basically pretty damn amazing.

I love the part where she travels to India. She spends her days inside the quiet solitude of an Ashram- a place of worship where she meditates for hours and has many experiences that bring her closer to God.

Reading this delightful book makes me want to book a one way ticket to India and become a complete devotee, staying in an Ashram forever where I can process all these thoughts that go through my head. In stillness we see things we can never see in haste. I try to take moments of stillness everyday but, it's the type of stillness one can achieve when the only goal you have is to sit in silence for months.

Maybe I should put this on my bucket list? Visit an Ashram..hmmm..something to ponder.

Mani Pedi Fun!

Sometimes you feel so down that few things can cheer you up. I have been kind of down in the dumps lately and so when my good friend and co-anchor Seth Wayne suggested we go for mani-pedis, I jumped at the chance.

Something about being pampered and sitting with your feet plunked into a hot tub of water with someone else doing all the work is just so relaxing and rejuvenating. I even got a flower painted on one of my toes. It made me realize that I really need to pamper myself more. If I don't do it for myself, well then who will?

Check out my toesies! I had my fingers painted the same color!

Delicious Black Bean Tortillas

I made these last night and today and they are low calorie, high fiber and delicious and nutritious for you!

What you will need

1-can black beans
1-can diced tomatoes with spices
2- Low carb, high fiber Tortillas, you can find these in the tortilla section in Albertsons
Pinch of salt
pinch of cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
Tapatio or some sort of hot sauce

Directions
Heat up a saucepan and add black beans and tomatoes,
stir until warm, add cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne
Heat until the mixture is thick and not much liquid is visible
Spoon onto tortillas roll up and enjoy

Fiber powerhouse, low calorie and will keep you full for hours.

Weight Loss Blues

Why oh why is losing weight so hard?


It seems the only way I can ever succeed is to starve myself to death and then end up gaining it all back in a moments weakness like last night for example. I had done so well all day, low carb, low calorie, feeling like those skinny size 2 jeans would fit me in no time -and then, all of it gone in a moment of sheer gluttony. It was as I was driving home from work and the thought of a taco--just one from Taco bell was almost too much to bear. I couldn't STOP thinking about it and it was almost like the drive thru pulled my car right into the lot. ! Grrrr.

Two tacos and a lot of fire sauce later I stared guiltily at all the wrappers and condiment packets on my couch and let out a loud sigh. Losing weight---HOW HOW HOW? :)

I will get there someday. I did it before but, it was pure resistance and about 800 calories a day. Besides the light headed ness and feeling like faiting on a daily basis, I did alright. I know what you are thinking if you are reading this-totally unhealthy. :)
Alas the journey continues.

On another note I do allow myself a cheat day every week and that was last Saturday. The highlight came in the form of a delicious Oreo cheesecake from Sweet life ...Yummmm...Wouldn't life be great if one pill provided all our nutritional needs and we didn't have to worry about the come hither pull of oily pasta, cheesy pizza or a batch of crisp steaming hot french fries....

I better stop talking about it before I make another bad decision...

So True...

No one ever gets tired of loving. But everyone gets tired of waiting, assuming, hearing lies, saying sorry, and hurting.

Football Madness and More!

It's the BIG huge BCS game today and the whole town feels like a ghost town. Businesses closed early, bars are jam packed and everyone is cheering on the DUCKS including me! It's amazing how much this city gets into the local team and I think it's pretty awesome but, I must admit that being at work is a bit of a relief. I don't have to worry about driving or dealing with any of the crazyness--in a way it's a relief.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit strange. I had gone to sleep reading the book "Eat Pray Love" and it's message is so powerful. I loved the movie and the book is even better. I love the concept of waking up one day and taking charge of your life. Deciding that enough is enough and you are going to put yourself first. It's a powerful reminder that we all have a choice as to what we decide to do in our lives. We can choose to be happy or choose to be sad. We can choose to stay or choose to leave.

You can't lose what's not yours, keep what's not yours, or hold onto something that doesn't wanna stay.

Read this off of twitter today and it seemed especially true. I need to apply it more to my own life and situations but, I also have a quiet hope in my heart that I am moving through the stages I need to go through to heal and move on with my life..I'm proud of myself for the accomplishments I have made and the ones to come.

GO DUCKS

Latest Anchor/Reporter Reel

My latest compilation of my work

Thoughts of the Day!

Continual, petty criticism is the mark of a small mind; you have to be little to belittle. ~John Maxwell

Today: Stop renting your confidence from everyone else & start OWNING it. Aren't u worth the investment?

There's nothing to fear about rejection. It's either God's protection or a nudge in a better direction.

It's the charm & grace of a strong woman that makes her unforgettable.

Healthy Eating

So it's day two of my healthy eating plan and I must say in only 48 hours I already feel much different than I felt just two days ago. I have more energy today than I normally have for a weekday and it feels great. This morning I scrambled up three cage-free organic eggs and paired them with two slices of multi-grain 40 calorie toast. I may have added a little bit too much salt but, the end result was delicious and kept me going till about 3PM where I had a bowl full of broccoli and couliflower for lunch. Dinner tonight will be more black beans and more veggies. It's delicious and I am looking forward to meals more than I have ever before! Carbs while not ALL bad really do weigh a person down and can spike blood sugar levels out of control. I recommend starting this program if you want more energy throughout the day and also to lose weight or kick start a weight loss program. This weekend will be tough but, I am already planning out my meals including black bean tortillas and maybe some homemade soup!

One thing is for sure it's time to start eating healthy. I have spent far too long eating complete and total crap! :)

Healthy eating in 2011--bring it ON.

Black Bean Power

Last night was fun. I came home after a long day, snuggled into my warm jammies and did the most nerdy thing I could think of, read a book and research things online. As some of you know I have been trying to curb carbs and eat healthy and I found several articles online to help me reach my goal. The last few months have brought on some emotional eating that needs to stop! Time to take charge. I have decided to incorporate the following into my meal plan. Though I don't have much to lose I also enjoy the energy rush that comes from eating food such as the ones I will be incorporating into my meal plan over the next few months. Staying AWAY from white pasta, white bread and anything starchy.

Breakfast---egg white omelettes, salsa, and two slices of 40 calorie toast

Lunch---can of stewed tomatoes with hot sauce, half a can of black beans , or cut up veggies with low calorie salad dressing

Dinner--some lean protein and more black beans,

Why so many black beans you may ask? They are a nutrition powerhouse! Full of fiber and low in calories they will keep you full for hours! In fact, I still feel like I could burst from my breakfast which included mixed vegetables with black beans. They are also easy, you can grab a can for under a dollar at any grocery store and full of flavor if you add the right spices to them.

Just read this!

Black beans are not only low in fat, but they're also quite filling due to their high fiber content. This makes them a satisfying way to reduce hunger cravings which can lead to unhealthy splurges; and at only eighty-five calories for a half-cup, they're not likely to pack on the pounds. They're also a good source of protein to satisfy hunger and help maintain energy levels.

Also a ton of water. I have found that drinking Propel flavored water is a delicious way to get my water intake and feel like I am drinking juice! Drink water it's the best way to feel full. I will keep you all updated on my weight loss progress!

Another New Years Picture!

This is going to be a great year!

2011-Bring it ON!

It's 2011 and it's hard to believe. A year can seem so long and so short at the same time. Everyone always jumps on the resolution bandwagon when the new year hits but, few of us take the time to analyze what we really want. What are you looking for? What dreams do you have and more importantly what would you feel inside if you already had what you wanted?

Tonight on Fox News @ 10, I plan to share some of my goals for this year and they include but, are not limited to:

Curb the carbs--eat healthier
Organization--a clutter free life
Learn to play the guitar--have ALWAYS wanted to do this
Pay it forward, random acts of kindness---bringing about good to those around me

In my life I am faced with a decision that could bring me immense happiness but fear is holding me back from many things. How do you face those fears? One thing is certain--the decision we make determine the lives we lead. Make sure those decisions are good ones.

New Years 2010

What a fun night! I headed out to B2 wine bar to see a wonderful local band called "Taste" with some good friends.
It was a great night full of music and laughter.
Now I need to write down all my new years resolutions--2011 is going to be a wonderful year for me, I can already feel it. What are your goals this year?