Jenna Volden has a degree in business and has spent the last 10 plus years working for others. She believes it is time to start her own photography and writing business. She enjoys running, coffee and helping others achieve their goals. Gluten-free foods are a lifestyle, not a choice, for her due to celiac disease. She is currently based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Part of the reason I moved to Arizona is for winter. I spent the first 25 years of my life in Wisconsin. As a child I loved winter but as I got older I grew to strongly dislike winter. I didn’t like being cold. I didn’t like ice or black ice. I liked the first snow but anything after that? Over it. I would take a real feel of 41 degrees over -28 any day.
I still think snow is pretty, I just don’t want to live in it. Unless I don’t have to leave the house and can curl up in front of a fireplace for three to four months (which doesn’t happen because of that pesky job/earning money issue).
When people think Arizona, they think Phoenix. Phoenix doesn’t get snow, usually. I have known it to snow three times in the almost 11 years I have lived here (11 years? OMG). Once it was falling as snow but melted as soon as it hit the ground. The second time I was on my way to California but don’t believe it stuck around. The last time was New Years Eve 2015. I remember because it didn’t snow where I live but on January 1, 2015, I was driving to my running group and could see the snow covered mountains, which isn’t a usual site within city limits.
What do us big city folk do when we want to see snow? We drive to Sedona. Or Flagstaff or any number of cities in Arizona that do get snow. A few years ago, before I decided to really get back into photography, my boyfriend and I went up to Sedona/Flagstaff. I saw the slide rock area for the first time. I saw the red rocks covered with snow. I saw cute cabins in the woods and dreamed of a winter get-a-way. Also, I thought about how pretty it would be to get married with the snowy forest as a backdrop.
I was able to see pretty snow and then come home and enjoy life without snow. I am itching to go back and photograph snow. I have not yet made plans to get back out there but wanted to share a few photos from my previous trip. These were taken with my Canon Powershot, not my Canon 60D. (As you can see, I’ve always loved my Canons lol).
I have decided to do a blog post to go along with the photo of the month on my main page.
I thought it might be fun to learn a little bit more about each photo or why I chose it for the photo of the month. Some months I will pick an obvious theme, like using my Christmas tree for December. Other months will seem completely random and it most likely is. These will be photos I take for fun, or practice, and will never be offered for sale. I was just inspired to capture a moment.
This month’s photo is:
This photo was taken after I drove home one day. When I turned toward my neighborhood I saw the clouds surrounding the Estrella mountain range. I knew I had to capture it. I walked in the door, grabbed my camera and walked down the block. I took a few different shots from different sides of the street. I tried landscape and portrait orientation. I wasn’t quite in the middle of the street for this one.
My settings, if anyone is curious, are as follows:
Date/Time: 12/14/15 at 11 am
Aperture: 7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/500
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 135mm
Edited In: Lightroom
I am just in love with the clouds in this photograph. I also love how the colors turned out. I think mostly I just love the feeling I get when I look at it. This picture brings back the memory of the inspiration and finding beauty just outside your door.
I don’t usually make resolutions. We all make the same resolutions, lose weight, quit this, be a better person. We usually start out gung-ho and go all out. We join a gym. We buy something to help us quit that bad habit. We work out, balls to the wall, for a month or so. Then our drive starts to fade. We think I can skip it today. I will start again on Monday. Yet we never do. By March, our resolutions are a thing of the past. We revert to all our old ways. Nothing really changes.
This year I have made goals for myself. I tried to make them specific and achievable. I am not going to go out and just run a marathon or vow to never eat ice cream again. I looked at different areas of my life and came up with things I want to do, not ways I want to change. If I don’t hit these goals it doesn’t mean I’m a failure, just that I need to reflect and adjust accordingly for next time.
Fashion
Clean out closet and drawers
Donate items I don’t wear
Don’t buy anything new, unless it is a necessity (for example, dress pants for work may be a necessity but a new top isn’t)
Wear more of what is in my closet and accessorize!
Fitness
Run 500 miles
Start training for a marathon in Jan 2017
Complete New Rules of Lifting for Women
Do a second round of New Rules… or find similar program
Food
Have fruit and vegetable serving at each meal
Eat more vegetables (I tend to go fruit heavy)
As always, add more protein to each meal
Complete Don’t Eat it. Deal with it and work on stress eating
Fun
Read 55 books over the year
Read one business book each month
Read at least two books for fun each month
Try to read five books per month
Financial
I want to work on my credit card debt. I plan to use the snowball method to pay down my bills.
I also want to save more money and spend less. I am planning to work on not buying anything I don’t need. If at the end of 2016 I have saved money and there is an item I want, I will purchase at that time.
Spend less on groceries. I used to be really good at this but have gotten away from it.
I don’t know if I will reach all these goals but I am going to try. I tried to make each goal achievable and measurable. I have ways to track most of the goals (spreadsheet, journals) and may come up with a way to track everything.
What are your goals for 2016 and how do you track your progress?
My first gluten-free Christmas… and I survived. Barely.
My family was very supportive, but it was still hard not being able to enjoy all the Christmas goodies. I made sure to bake a few items that I could share and enjoy myself. I ended up making three different treats to share.
For Christmas brunch, I made peppermint mocha donuts. I learned a few things from this recipe and will remember for future recipes. I stuck to the recipe as given. I used a store bought gluten-free all-purpose flour, which I am pretty sure had xanthan gum, but still added the xanthan gum because I didn’t read what the mix was. I also was confused about the white vinegar and had to google. I was going to leave it out but after googling and reading, I left it in. You couldn’t taste it and the donuts were moist and fluffy (most gluten-free baked goods tend to be dense, crumbly and dry).I also made gluten-free peppermint brownie cakes from
I also made gluten-free peppermint brownie cakes from Betty Crocker. I picked up Hodgson Mill brownie mix instead of Betty Crockers and added peppermint extract to the batter. Those were the only changes I made to the recipe. If you make this recipe, be sure to push the peppermint patties way into the batter. A few of mine weren’t pushed down far enough and leaked over the top of the brownie cakes. I thought the batter was a little too thick and made the cake dense, crumbly and dry. If I made this again I’d try adding some xanthan gum or vinegar. Or maybe a homemade brownie mix.
I also made gluten-free peppermint fudge balls. I didn’t take any photos because they were just round balls of chocolate, nothing pretty or special. I ran out of time to roll them in sprinkles. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was add peppermint extract with the vanilla extract. Everyone seemed to love these.
I had interviewed for a job and really wanted it. I thought I had it. That is how well I thought the interview went. Outwardly I was trying to keep calm and not show how excited I was but inwardly? I was already planning. I had mentally packed up my current office and had a goodbye party. I started planning my first week on the new job. I wondered if the cube I sat in to do the written part of the interview would be my new home.
The day that we were supposed to find out, I jumped every time the phone rang and became more and more upset that it wasn’t them. I was talking to a coworker when I saw an email pop up from the manager. As soon as I saw the pop up I knew. I didn’t even have to open the email to know I wasn’t chosen. When my coworker left the office I opened the email anyway and started crying. Needless to say, that was one tough afternoon to get through.
For the last two weeks, I have been eating all kinds of junk food because I have lost all hope of finding a new job, of receiving a promotion. This was the seventh time in the last 3 years that I have applied for this position (with different departments) and the third or fourth time I was invited for an interview. I lost track. I don’t know what this means, except that I can’t keep applying for this position. I keep thinking of the saying, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.
My hope is to build a successful photography business, but I need to have a steady income until that gets going. My current job is ok, but I have been doing it for almost nine years, almost 4 with the current department. I want and need a change. I am not challenged. I am not growing or moving forward. I had hoped that getting a promotion would help.
I feel as if I have finally hit rock bottom. I know eating sweets won’t make me feel better. In fact, I usually feel worse. I have started making an effort to eat better. I decided to start working out again this past Sunday. I need to get into a routine and stick it out even when I am having a bad, stressful day.
I ordered a book, written by my former health coach, to help me get and stay on track. I started it last week and am slowly working my way through. If you are interested, click on the photo below (disclaimer: it’s linked to my amazon associate account). I would suggest ordering the actual book as there are spots to do the exercises.
Hopefully, between running, weights and this book, I can pull myself up and be happy and healthy again. I hope this new motivation will keep up. I didn’t step on the scale for the first few weeks of December. I was scared what it would say. I had to suck it up and step on it Sunday. It’s time to recommit to my health and happiness.
How do you stay motivated when stressed? What do you do to find your happiness again?
Las Vegas was my first real vacation after being diagnosed with celiac disease. As can be expected, I was extremely nervous about eating while traveling with celiac. I was afraid that I would be contaminated on day one and spend the rest of the trip sick. What fun would Vegas be if I was sick the entire time?
It turns out I had nothing to worry about. There were tons of places on the strip that had gluten free menus. Hell, there was plenty of places inside our hotel that had gluten free options. I also loved how when you requested gluten free it was taken very seriously. Most places assumed autoimmune or allergy or they asked. In Phoenix, everyone thinks “diet”.
We even managed to get one buffet in, even though I almost had a mini panic attack while waiting. I had read the Chef at the Aria Buffet has celiac disease and will come out and show you what you can eat. We decided to go to Aria and test it out. Besides being completely stuffed, I had no issues.
The Chef did come out and show me around. He made sure to point out what was safe and what to avoid. It was a little overwhelming, but I remembered most everything he told me. If I couldn’t remember I avoided it. I did feel bad at the desserts… I had to use my hand to grab one because there were no tongs and I didn’t want to just grab one! I made sure to only touch the one I was taking. The food was what you would expect at a buffet, nothing earth-shattering.
Border Grill – We stopped here since it was in our hotel. It was a wise choice. The margaritas were tasty and strong, just how I like them. The ceviche was one of the best I’ve had. And pork belly tacos? YUM.
Lupo by Wolfgang Puck – They offered one gluten free pasta, but you could get it with any sauce. It’s hard to go wrong with Wolfgang Puck. I had the gluten free pasta with bolognese.
Veranda is in the Four Seasons, next door to Mandalay. I had the gluten free quattro, a mini waffle, egg whites and panna cotta. It was slightly disappointing. The mini waffle was about two bites. I would have liked a bit more. The egg whites were surprisingly tasty. I usually prefer whole eggs to egg whites. I wish it had been a bit more food. I got hungry again soon after.
Shake Shack – I finally had a chance to try Shake Shack. It was tasty and I love anywhere I can have fries!
Stack – Oh. My. God. This was probably the best meal we had in Vegas. We did the steak for two and it was the best steak I have had plus it came with two delicious sauces, a red wine pepper sauce and a chimichurri sauce. It also came with whipped potatoes, which were also excellent. It was the perfect amount of food. We also split the cherry vanilla creme brule, another excellent choice. I would highly recommend Stack. Highly.
Mon Ami Gabi – I enjoyed Mon Ami Gabi as well. They have gluten free bread for us gluten free people. We don’t have to just sit and watch others enjoy crusty bread before the meal. I had the grilled chicken paillard and, of course, creme brule for dessert. I would definitely go back and try other gluten free items as the chicken was great.
Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab – This was a close second to Stack. We started with ceviche (we have a thing for ceviche). I had the filet and tail, both of which were excellent. I also had the sweet potato with praline pecan butter. I am drooling just thinking about it! And they had my favorite dessert as gluten free… BROWNIES! I tried so hard to finish the brownie, but it was so much food.
Nine Fine Irishmen – I had the shepherd’s pie. It was tasty and huge. Huge. I can’t say shepherd’s pie is exciting or special. It’s traditional comfort food and Nine Fine Irishmen did a great job with their dish. This is another place that I would go back to.
Burger Bar – Our last stop before the airport was the Burger Bar. This place probably was my least favorite, not that it was bad. I did the build your own burger on a gluten free bun. It was just a burger, nothing I here I went I have to have this again! I was able to have one variety of fries here.
There is no shortage of gluten-free in Las Vegas. The strip is littered with restaurants with gluten-free menus online plus we asked a few more and they either had gluten free options or had suggestions on what was or could be made gluten-free. I am already planning a trip back to Vegas and know I have nothing to worry about. I could go several times and never have to repeat a restaurant, although I would go back to most of the ones on this list.
As a child, I loved Guns N Roses. I remember taking my tiny boombox outside and blasting Welcome to the Jungle. I would listen to the radio station all day until the song came on I loved and I would quickly hit record and get it on my blank tape. It took quite a lot of patience. I am surprised at 7/8 years old, I was able to get any songs on tape.
Later, when I had my own money, I bought Appetite and Use Your Illusion on CD. I listened to those songs on repeat. I would get excited when the video for November Rain actually played on MTV. Yes, MTV actually played more music videos than reality TV shows at one point. Ahhh, the good old days.
My well loved GnR CDs.
When I read Duff McKagan wrote a book, and that it was actually good, I knew I had to read it. I also stumbled across Steven Adler’s book and picked it up. I just need to get Slash’s book and I will have all autobiographies of original GnR members. I know a lot of books have been written about Axl, but I haven’t seen one he wrote himself. I also couldn’t find one that Izzy wrote. (If you know of an Axl or Izzy autobiography, please let me know).
While both Duff and Steven’s books offer a glimpse into GnR they are vastly different. If I had to recommend just one it would be Duff’s. His book is well written, flows well and believable. Duff focuses mostly on himself and his journey. His book does include troubles with Guns, but the issues are written from a mature place. Duff has stepped back and can analyze his time with the band more as the man he has become. He has let go of what happened in the past and moved forward.
To me, Steve is still in an addict’s mindset. He sounds like he is bragging a lot. Many of the stories of his youth seem far-fetched. It is entirely possible these things happened, but it always seemed he wanted the audience to think he was cool. That he was far more sexually advanced or drug fueled than he really was as a child. I feel that Steven glosses over some of these sexual exploits in a bragging manner when if they actually happened they were abuse.
He plays the victim a lot. Everything that happened to Guns is someone else’s fault. He hints at things he maybe could have done differently but never seems to get to the point that yes, maybe I could have changed. Maybe I could have done something differently. I get it, Axl comes across as a dick no matter which way you slice it, but there were things Steven could have done or should have done to keep himself in the band.
Despite becoming an addict and being kicked out of Guns, he still seems to be living in the past, with the same mentality. He just seems stuck. Stuck in the past. Stuck in the drugs. He has admitted there’s a problem but not really. I didn’t feel sorry for him. In fact, I often wanted to tell him to stop whining and just do something about it.
Steven’s book isn’t well written; it’s disorganized. The chapter titles have little, if anything, to do with what is in the chapter. It meanders. It goes off on tangents and sometimes takes forever get back to the original story. It is as if he just talked and someone wrote down exactly what he said, in the order it was said.
On the other hand, Duff has moved past his addictions. He will always be an addict, but he has found healthy ways to deal with issues. He has a loving wife and children. He seems to have matured and looks back at Guns n Roses with a more objective mindset. He has made amends with the past, the band and the people.
Maybe the difference is Duff landed in the hospital and could/would die if he picked up the drink again. He had to change but instead of whining he found new ways to fill his time, new healthier vices. He found family in those that helped him recover. He did relapse once, with pills, but quickly realized and reached out to those he loved.
Duff seems to have found what he was looking for in sobriety. He never thought he would live past 30, but now he has a fulfilling life. He’s realized he has things to live for and the answer isn’t in the bottom of a vodka bottle.
Duff is living in the present while Steven seems stuck in the past. I hope Adler finds the help and peace he seems to be seeking but can’t quite grasp.
Even if you aren’t a Guns n Roses fan, I would recommend Duff’s book. It is well written and shows how deep addiction can be and how truly satisfying recovery can be once you learn to love yourself.
Accepting failure, giving up and moving on. This is what I need to do. I am in week 5 and I’ve failed multiple times. I keep trying to get back up, brush myself off and push through, but it isn’t working. I keep repeating the same pattern: ready to go on Monday but exhausted by Wednesday. I get up and try a long run Saturday and maybe get a run in on Sunday. I can’t complete 26.2 miles doing two, maybe three runs per week.
I need to throw in the towel, admit defeat. At this point, I don’t even want to drop down to the half. I just don’t want to do it period. I’ve done that half twice. I surpassed my goal. I want to move on to new goals, which was supposed to be the marathon. I need to sit back and reevaluate my goals and what I am capable of.
It’s difficult and painful to give up on a dream I’ve been working towards since my first 5k in 2012. I never thought I could run because of my asthma then I started running slowly on a treadmill and eventually moved outside. I really never thought I would race, but I had always wanted to do the UW-L Turkey Trot. I tried and I was hooked. Now I’ve done 5ks, 10ks, and several half marathons along with several distances in between to get to the point where I could complete 26.2. Everything over the last 3 years was for this moment.
And now it’s gone. I can’t do it. No matter how much I want it I am physically incapable of doing the training. I get up in the mornings, stiff and sore. I go through the work day only to have sore hips, legs, ankles, and feet. I have a desk job. I am not on my feet all day. I do make sure I get up and move around but nothing that should preclude me from exercising later.
I get home from work and practically pass out on the couch for a half an hour before I realize I need to make dinner. I am only 35 but I have no energy and my body seems to be falling apart. I feel I just got my celiac diagnosis and feel much better but now that my digestive system is healed the rest of me decided to cause problems.
I have dreamed of the moment I crossed the finish line and thought of how I would feel, emotionally and physical. Both exhausted and amazed. Fulfilled and empty. For now it will remain a dream. It may remain that way forever. I just don’t know at this point.
I am on my third week of marathon training and I think I’ve quit about seven times. I actually quit before I started. The few days before I decided I couldn’t do it because I was so tired all the time. I actually missed my first two or three days because I didn’t think I could do it.
I thought about it and decided I needed to at least attempt it. If I didn’t try I would never know if I could run a marathon. I would rather try and fail over never trying. I started a few days late, but I started.
I actually did fairly well on week two. I felt good and hit almost all my workouts. Week three has been a different story. I couldn’t find the energy Monday or Tuesday. I was beyond exhausted and wanted to give up again. I’m not, but I need to figure out a better way to do the weekly workouts.
I think what I will do is switch Friday and Sunday. My current plan has a short run on Fridays and rest on Sunday. I am so tired by the end of the week, I can’t get myself out the door. My half plan from last year had a run on Sunday instead of Friday and I was always able to do that. I also have more energy on Sundays since I don’t have to go to work.
My other thought is to run before work on Monday and Wednesday. I currently run after work but by the time I get home I just want to collapse on the couch. My current work schedule is 7 am to 4:30 pm but I figure I can just go in late on Monday and Wednesday. It wouldn’t matter how tired I was after work because I wouldn’t have to do anything.
I do want to run a marathon, but I have some mental and physical demons to battle. I will fight through best I can and make adjustments as needed.
The boyfriend was having a rough week and I decided to do something for him. His favorite cookies are snickerdoodles and I tracked down a recipe which I already had the ingredients for.
I started pulling all my ingredients and measuring out when I opened the shortening. Uhhh, I guess I don’t use shortening enough because I opened it up to a nasty smell and a thick layer of what I can only call plastic. I didn’t want to run to the store with my oven pre-heating and my dough already started. I decided to sub 1/4 cup butter for the shortening.
I also added extra cinnamon and vanilla extract, because I can’t just follow a recipe as written.
Gluten Free Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups Bisquick gluten free mix
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. In a stand mixer (or large bowl), mix eggs, 1 cup of sugar, vanilla extract and butter. Stir in Bisquick mix until dough forms.
In a small bowl, mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Shape dough into 1-1/4 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
What is your favorite cookie? Let me know in the comments.
Preheat oven to 375. In a stand mixer (or large bowl), mix eggs, 1 cup of sugar, vanilla extract and butter. Stir in Bisquick mix until dough forms.
