Cleaning the front cap is so much easier with a ladder!
Before we moved into our RV, this was a question we found ourselves asking. We had a huge ladder with multiple positions and uses. But it seemed like overkill. After-all, we had a ladder attached to the side of our rig. Why would we ned another ladder? In an effort to downsize our belongings, we sold our ladder. And as soon as we hit our first RV park in the Thousand Trails system, we began to regret our decision. Why would we need a ladder? To do ladder things, obviously!
Maintenance on our slides is a lot easier when we aren’t hanging off the side of the roof!
So yes, we can climb up onto the roof to check it out, perform routine maintenance, and ensure everything up top is on the up and up. But cleaning the rig and checking seals isn’t easy from the ground or the rooftop. We needed something different. We needed something that allowed us to do what we needed to do without unsafely leaning or hanging over the edge of the roof.
Our New Telescoping Ladder
What’s a family to do when they live in less than 400 sq ft of space yet are in need of a tall ladder? Get a telescoping ladder of course! The telescoping function is awesome!!! It shrinks the ladder to a tiny size without compromising ladder height! We’re so happy with our new Cosco Telescoping ladder! It’s seriously tough, convenient, and the perfect height!
We always have big helpers! It’s so important to us that we are able to teach them through life experiences.
The Cosco ladder comes in 3 size variations. We went ahead with the 16 foot size in order to ensure that even if we angle it up against the RV, we’re still going to be able the roofline. The other two sizes are 12 foot and 18 foot, and you can grab it from Home Depot! If you’re a veteran, don’t forget to ask about the veteran discount!
The Best Part
What’s really cool about this ladder though is the smart close feature. After telescoping it to it’s full height and locking each step into place, it’s as simple as a button slide to unlock the ladder and the ladder does the rest by slowly retracts into itself. No pinched fingers! And once it’s all scrunched up, it straps together for easy carrying and storage. It really is perfect for RV living!
It’s so sturdy, but it still stores pretty small and doesn’t take up a ton of space in our tiny home
Our Dodge Ran 3500 in a parking lot somewhere in Illinois
Whatcha got in that thang? Before we purchased our tiny home on wheels it was really important to us to make sure we had a truck that could pull her no problem. As we weren’t sure exactly what RV we’d be getting yet, and we’d heard stories of people switching rigs after living in them, we wanted to get a truck that could pull damn near anything. RESEARCH! RESEARCH! RESEARCH! And that’s when this beauty popped into our life.
She’s a 2020 Dodge RAM 3500 Laramie MEGA cab — 6.7L I6 Cummins HO turbo diesel — 220 Amp alternator — Max tow package with the 4.10 axle ratio — Dual rear wheels — Automatic rear air suspension + the bells and whistles for comfort like heated leather seats, unloaded speakers, sunroof, spray in bed liner, and automatic steps for easy entry. + the sexy night edition upgrade l
Do we love her? Yup! Who drives? We both do!
Does she have a name? We lovingly call her Sixer! Named for her 6 tires by our Daughter Vanellope! Things of note: She’s got a big ol’ booty so she doesn’t fit in regular car washes. She’s hard to park in a parking spot, but if you’ve got a few minutes, it can be done. Her mileage is running about 14mpg (8 while towing) and with prices on the rise that could be a hard pill to swallow. At 5’9” and with a long torso, my messy bun always hits the ceiling and that’s annoying! I learned how to drive in a big pickup truck, so although it was a little nerve wracking at first since it’s been about 20 years, it wasn’t a hard adjustment coming from a car to this beast. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5 stars! highly recommend
When we met, the hubs was quite the gourmet chef making amazing dishes like Taco Bell drive-through delight, and Subway sandwich on a paper plate. It’s no wonder he stole my heart! After all, it certainly wasn’t his motorcycle that did me in. I wasn’t sure if he’d ever live up to that once we got married, but somehow he still manages to blow me away by continually expanding his kitchen skills. Recently he pondered my food sensitivities, gluten-free circumstance, and passion for Italian food. Then and he whipped up an Italian Zucchini Bake that the entire family drools over! Yes, we’ve had it three times in two weeks!
All joking aside though, ladies, this man can cook! I love his fearless attitude in the kitchen. He tries new things constantly, and although some are disasters, 99% of the time I request the recipe again, and again, and again! This Italian Zucchini Bake is no exception to that 99%!
Italian Zucchini Pasta Substitute
One of the things we work with our clients on is incorporating more veggies into their lives by substituting veggies for all sorts of different things. Do you need a bun for that grass-fed beef patty? Use some giant lettuce leaves! Do you want some chicken fried rice? Use cauliflower instead! Do you love pasta as much as I do but can’t eat gluten? Try some naturally gluten-free zoodles, or zucchini spears in this case! If you need help incorporating more veggies, check out our veggies most recipes on our Recipes page.
Are you already living a veggies most life? We’d love to hear about some of your favorite recipes in the comments. Or, if you’re craving something special, but you aren’t sure how to create a veggies most recipe for it, let us know, and we can add it to our menu! Now, for the part you’ve waited for: the recipe!
An Italian recipe without the pasta? Absolutely! This delicious zucchini bake is perfect for "veggies most" families as a dinner option. Don't forget to add a protein side.
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Italian
Keyword:
veggies most
Author: Dakota
Ingredients
6zucchiniquartered lengthwise
1large purple oniondiced
1cupgrape tomatoeshalved
5clovesfresh garlic
1/2teaspoondried thyme
1/2teaspoondried oregano
1/2teaspoondried basil
1/4teaspoongarlic powder
Himalayan salt to taste
3tablespoonsavocado oil
2tablespoonchopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking dish with sprayable avocado oil; set aside.
Dice onion and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, and salt, to taste.
Place zucchini, onion, tomato, and garlic into prepared baking dish. Drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle with seasoning mixture. Toss everything to coat. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 25 minutes.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Perfect for our clients following our premium nutrition plan. As a dinner, fill your plate up 75% with this veggies most dish, and add 25% protein like grilled chicken or salmon.
Have you heard about this widespread situation happening in kitchens everywhere? With the recent increase in popularity for the avocado, more people are falling victim to avocado hand, and emergency rooms are seeing an increase in this terribly painful injury. It sounds like I might be joking, but the situation is real. My hope is that you not only avoid avocado hand, but that you have an easier time in the kitchen when preparing one of my favorite healthy fats!
What is Avocado Hand?
Avocado hand happens when someone attempts to either slice open an avocado, remove the stone with a knife, or slice an avocado with a knife, then the knife slips and slices their hand. Even famous people like Meryl Streep are affected by avocado hand. So, yes, it can happen to anyone, and surgeons are reporting that the injury is very destructive, often requiring surgery to repair damaged nerve and tendon injuries.
So how can you avoid – or at least cut your chances of encountering avocado hand? I’ll be honest, most days I walk on the wild side. Admittedly, it’s rather stupid of me, but I typically use a knife to slice my avocados while specifically telling our clients and audience not to do what I do. It’s true, you’ll see me in so many videos telling people “Don’t do it like this!” The worst part is that we have a tool – self-proclaimed gadget queen here – just steps away that will nearly cut my risk to zero! If you would like to read check out more of my favorite kitchen gadgets, check out our foodie life page!
Enter the Avocado Slicer
This little kitchen gadget is a must have item for those of you living the avocado life. Do you love avocado toast? Avocado in your salad? In place of mayo in your tuna salad? Added to your smoothies and superfoods to make them even creamier? Living that foodie life or that LCHF (low carb high fat) life? You need this!! I promise!
This amazing little 2-in-1 gadget not only fishes the stone out of the avocado, but it also slices it into perfectly pleasing identical avocado slices that you can fan out in a pretty design. You know what I’m talking about, right? Those pretty avocado slice fans? Like this one in my sexy salad the other day…
It’s super easy to use, too! Simply use the smaller end to remove the pit. Then, use the larger end to slice the avocado into pretty little segments!
What are some of your favorite ways to add avocado to your life? Can you share it in the comments?
One of the most important things you can do in the kitchen if you want great food, is use seasonings. Seasonings are what make or break a delicious meal. If you go to any restaurant and ask the chef what their secret is, I bet they will tell you it’s the seasonings. So it should come as no surprise that the best chicken recipe ever is primarily reliant on the seasoning blend!
In fact, this seasoning blend is so delicious that you can easily add it to just about anything:
Pork chops
Steak
Ground beef
Eggs
Tempeh
We love this recipe for the best chicken recipe because it’s not only really simple to make as a small batch, but making a large batch is super easy too. Just remember, equal parts everything, but double the salt! If you are a fan of meal prepping, this seasoning blend works great for large batches of protein to last you through the week. You can check out our meal prepping workshop for more ideas!
The Best Chicken Recipe Seasoning Blend
Let’s get to the recipe! Feel free to set your oven on, trim any access fat away from your meat, and spray your baking dish ahead of time. I always prefer to have that stuff done first so that the oven is prepping for me and once I get the seasoning blend mixed up I’m ready to make the best chicken recipe ever! Now, grab up all your seasonings:
Himalayan sea salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Dried Oregano
Smoked Paprika
Once you have them all together, it’s super simple to just grab one 1/4 teaspoon and start dumping. We typically make big batches, so I usually start with a tablespoon. Just remember, whatever measurement you use, you’ll have equal parts of everything, but double the salt! So start dumping!
The Best Chicken Recipe or Whatever Really
Once all of your herbs and spices are mixed together, the messy part begins. Grab that chicken, or if you prefer, pork, beef, tempeh, etc…. and coat everything in the seasoning mix. My favorite method for doing this involves putting the chicken directly into the seasoning bowl and pressing it down. The seasonings then stick to your meat, and coat it completely.
Once all your meat is coated, add it to your baking dish which should already have a light spray of avocado oil. We use avocado oil because it’s chemically stable at high heats. Why is that important? It won’t oxidize. When oils undergo oxidation, they react with oxygen and form free radicals and harmful compounds that you definitely don’t want to consume. Other options that we like are coconut oil or grass-fed butter. Now throw that baking dish in the oven, set your timer, and get ready to savor a delicious meal!
This is a batch of boneless chicken thighs that will survive a week in our house. The hubs will take it for lunch everyday with his giant sexy salads. For this large batch, I used a tablespoon to measure equal parts of everything, but I doubled the salt! Then I made sure each thigh got really well in the seasoning mix. It really is the best chicken recipe!
I’d love to hear about the different ways you used this seasoning mix. Share your favorites in the comments section below!
When I began coaching, I had no idea that Josh Coats would convince me to puke with him, sell our house, and become a gypsy! I was sleeping 12+ hours a day, had 100 Facebook friends, and had lost most of my personal connections when I lost my job two years earlier. We didn’t live near my family or talk to many of them very often except for my sister, mother, and grandma. I was a brand new mama with postpartum depression and the wife of a (unemployed) full-time student who spent his free time volunteering for teens with incarcerated parents and interning at the local police station while trying to earn a degree in criminal justice. We had a very scary financial outlook on our future. Our savings accounts were nearing empty.
At that time, my idea of a healthy meal was a Birds Eye Voila Frozen Stir-fry dinner. A workout meant I’d need to walk around a track for an hour a day. That was the best I could do coming in at 275 pounds! Josh Coats, or any business mentor, certainly wasn’t on my radar. Becoming a work-from-home CEO in the health and fitness industry was completely outlandish. I was sick, fat, and nearly dying. Most days I assumed my family would be better off without me.
I Just Wanted a Discount
In March 2016, I started coaching for the discount on Shakeology. At the time I was beginning to connect the dots between a low breastmilk supply and poor overall health. The usual BS that the pediatrician gave me wasn’t working, and I refused to believe that “some women just can’t do it.”
I was in research mode all day, every day and when I discovered Shakeology, and I assumed everyone would believe in the magic of superfoods if I told them it tasted good. I had no idea what I was doing or how I would do it. I’d heard of the 21 Day Fix before, so it made sense that everyone would jump at the opportunity to do a Beachbody fitness program with me! In fact, I sent a message to every female Facebook friend I had asking them to do this with me, but if I was even lucky enough to get a response, it was a huge, astounding “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” If you were one of those messages, thank you for your support! Where was Josh Coats back then? But I persisted!
Two years ago I NEVER could have imagined feeling comfortable spending $199 on a 3 hour small group training with one of my biggest mentors and 30 perfect strangers. In fact, I didn’t even realize that I would have a business mentor. I didn’t even know there were things like Coach Summit or Business Coaches like Josh. I didn’t even know if it was possible to make money as a Beachbody coach, but I sure wanted to believe it was!
From Discount to Income
A lot happened over the course of 2 years. I worked my butt off because *income disclaimer* Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach’s income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. You can see the Statement of Independent Earnings for the most recent information on our Coaches’ actual incomes. Remember when I said that I had no idea what I was doing when I started? Yeah, it was hard work for me! I watched other coaches build their businesses faster and bigger than I could even imagine. Most days I felt like I was barely scrapping by. My income certainly wasn’t an income, but it did allow me to stay home and work on becoming a better and stronger woman, so there was that!
Over those two years I discovered a guy by the name of Josh Coats. He was a pretty bold business mentor that was beginning to make a name for himself by helping Beachbody coaches like myself make brave decisions, dream bigger, and grow thriving businesses. In May I got an email from him. He was coming to Indianapolis at the same time we would be there for our annual Coach Summit, and if I could scrape up $199 I could hang out with him and 30 other coaches for a few hours to overcome my limiting beliefs and get my business on the right path toward more success! I was freaking scared!
Why Was I Scared?
That’s our grocery money for nearly 2 weeks! That’s a TON of money!
This dude doesn’t even know my name. I stalk him on social media, subscribe to his newsletter, and can’t believe I’d ever be I the same room as him.
I’m an introvert. I have social anxiety. Strangers scare me.
The Holy Shit Moment
But that day was payday, and it just so happened that my Beachbody coaching paycheck hit my account. It was just over $200! Did I mention that I love getting paid weekly?! I work part-time on my business. With the launch of our nutrition program, 2B Mindset, I was averaging $30/ hr. That doesn’t count the time spent on social media posts I’d be posting anyway or my workouts I’d be doing anyway….
So, I brought it up to the hubs. Part of me wanted HIM to be the one that said “No, we can’t afford it.” I wanted him to be the one to blame for me not going. But instead, he said, “GO!” WHAT THE HELL?!?!?! So with my one week less-than-part-time work-from-home-while-my-toddler-naps paycheck, there I was buying a ticket to an event that terrified me, but it felt so good to do that!!
The Big Day Arrived
I don’t coach because I’m confident. I’ve become (a bit) confident because I coach. However, when the big day came, I was NOT feeling very confident at all. I almost didn’t go. I tried to convince myself that staying back at the hotel was a better plan. At least then I’d be able to go swimming with the kiddo and the hubs!
The hubs put his foot down; he gave me the usual confidence building pep-talk and told me I deserved to be at the event. I went, but it took a lot of convincing! During the 40 minute drive from our hotel, I listened to loud and crazy music while convincing myself not to chicken out once I arrived. Have you ever listened to loud music on stock speakers of a ridiculously cheep rental car? Laughable! I’m sure I attracted a few eye rolls!
But there I was, jumping completely out of my comfort zone and doing something scary…. I met with 30 rockstar coach STRANGERS and met with my biggest business mentor for the first time in person…unless you count the time I pulled a fangirl move and asked for a selfie in the New Orleans airport last July!
Meeting Josh Coats Again
So many people shy away from coaching because they limit themselves with small-minded beliefs. If you stopped believing the crap stories you tell yourself, and started living your best life, what would be possible? That’s a question Josh has me asking myself. This dude constantly talks about doing stuff so far outside your comfort zone that you feel like puking! His tagline is #letspuketogether! That right there takes A LOT of big dreaming, big ideas, and big action!
I knew this event was going to have me puking – the theme was overcoming limiting beliefs. I knew before I arrived at this Josh Coats event that we would be dreaming really big! Josh Coats doesn’t allow anyone to think small. He especially doesn’t allow us to camp out in our comfort zones! And the biggest truth? When you’re around Josh, any tiny idea repressed in your subconscience mind will find its way into your conscience mind, and you will not forget it until you’ve made it happen! I was nervous and excited at the same time!
Josh Coats doesn’t allow anyone to think small. He especially doesn’t allow us to camp out in our comfort zones!
Josh Coats’ Life-Changing Question
The event was scheduled to last for 3 hours, but it lasted nearly 5! In that time, Josh asked us three questions including the one that changed EVERYTHING! As I was writing down my answer, I began telling myself all the reasons why it was stupid. There was no way that this could ever happen. I had every reason to believe that I was indeed, crazy!
Alright, Josh Coats, let’s puke together! He asked us to write out EXACTLY what our life would look like if we had everything we wanted and could do all the things that mattered to us. What causes would we be a part of? What good would we be adding to the world? How would our family and loved ones be effected?
More than anything, the things I wrote down surprised me. I wrote about wanting to retire my husband, support my family completely with my income alone, buy an RV, and travel around the country full-time, while spending as much time as possible with the people who mattered the most. I also wrote about wanting to inspire people to believe in their dreams, challenge the status quo, live more vibrantly, commit to better nutrition and moving every day, loving deeper, and going on adventures. Lastly, I wrote about wanting to really live my big dreams instead of just talking about them.
The difference Two Years Can Make
It took two years of working on myself every single day and being my best client, two years of watching others succeed faster and better as Beachbody coaches, two years of giving it my best, and not giving up! In those two years I proved to myself that I was capable of doing hard shit and worthy of happiness.
It took two years of hard work to prepare for the moment at Josh’s event that I dreamed up the biggest dream I’ve ever dreamed. No doubt had I not had those two years of preparing myself, I never could have written that dream down. And I didn’t just write it down. I spoke it out loud to a group of strangers! I shared it with them even though it seemed like the biggest, scariest, most impossible dream.
In two years I went from a handicapped, extremely obese, introverted, anxiety-ridden, meek, postpartum mama without an ounce of belief in myself and who some days even thought my family would be better without me….. to a powerful dreamer willing to share my story, put in the work, and empower others to do the same!
One Month Later
It’s only month later, and that huge, scary, impossible dream is happening! Why? Because I worked on myself every single day for over two years even when it was hard. I showed up, put in the work, and I gave myself grace, but I also gave myself tough love. Those two years helped me GROW in mind, body, and spirit! They taught me something about myself —> I don’t give up! After I wrote down my dream, I decided that my dream mattered. Then, I took ACTION to make it happen.
At that event, Josh Coats didn’t just ask me what my big scary dream was. He also asked what limiting beliefs were holding me back before challenging me to destroy them with life-affirming actions. He made me puke over and over and over! But one month ago I was puking, and today I’m creating a website to document our journey. We’re putting in the work so that we can sell our home, travel the world, spend time with the people that matter, encourage others to dream big, guide others to take care of themselves, and soak up every drop of life we have as we live out this crazy adventure that we have embarked on!
You’ve gotta choose your own path, forge your own way, and make it happen! NO MATTER WHAT!!! Coaching gave me the platform to become a better human, mama, a wife, and best of all, A BETTER DREAMER! Josh Coats challenged me, the big dreamer, to actually dream and then follow through and change our entire life!
We’re in downsizing mode, so it’s a bit odd that we’re also still collecting kitchen gadgets! That’s how much we love you all! We’re willing to collect kitchen gadgets during downsizing season so that we can help you live an easier life. Okay, okay, we might be acquiring this one for selfish reasons! We’ve been struggling to make the perfect hard-boiled egg. Without fail, we always mess something up. We either overcook them, undercook them, or remove half the egg while taking the shell off. It’s frustrating!
Oh, you too? Yay! We’re not alone! I mean…I don’t wish frustration on anyone, but at least knowing that I’m not the only one that can’t make an egg makes me feel a little less silly. We can make the perfect hard-boiled egg together!
Enter The Egg Cooker!
I love it when the hubs surprises me! He just bought me this really cool new gadget, and right away I had to try it out. I love prepping a bunch of eggs for the week, so I assumed this would help! Obviously, I was right! If you need more suggestions for weekly meal prep, you should check out our workshop! I’ll be updating the course to include this amazing rockstar! And I love that it’s small too! That’ll be perfect for RV life. In case you didn’t know, most RVs lack on deep storage for kitchen gadgets. I don’t know…I guess they assume that when you’re in an RV you want to actually not be in the RV, but rather, outside enjoying your adventure!
If you’ve ever seen my hard-boiled eggs, you know I’m not a pro. I’m probably the best person to test out this gadget, because without it, I’m pretty helpless! But, even I can make a great hard-boiled egg with this egg cooker! Let me show you just how simple and fast it is to cook up a dozen eggs. By the way, we are HUGE fans of pasture raised chicken eggs. the difference is insane – both visually and nutritionally.
Pastured eggs are richer in vitamins A and E, as well as omega-3s. Hens that get to spend time in the sun also lay eggs that contain significantly more vitamin D.
The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg Is Easy
1. First you’ll need to prepare your eggs. This is the most important step. It only takes a few seconds, but you’ll need the pin on the bottom of the water cup. Use the pin to poke a hole in the top of each egg.
2. Next you’ll want to fill the supplied measuring cup up with water to the appropriate level. Our cooker makes several different types of eggs like omelets, soft boiled, etc, so there are several lines. Make sure you fill it to the correct line.
3. Next you’ll add all the eggs to their trays. You’ll want to make sure that all the holes are facing upwards in your eggs. The bottom tier holds 8 eggs, and the top-tier holds 4 eggs for a total of 12 perfect hard-boiled eggs when you’re finished! Don’t forget to turn the blue timer bottom to the on setting.
4. While your eggs start cooking, prepare an ice bath for them. To do this, fill up a large bowl with ice and cold water.
5. Once the super loud and annoying timer goes off, you can turn off the cooker and carefully remove the eggs with tongs. Place the eggs into the ice bath where the cold water will stop the cooking process.
6. Peel your eggs and enjoy them!
How do you use hard-boiled eggs? Leave us a comment telling us how you love to enjoy the perfect hard-boiled egg!
No joke, for YEARS I didn’t speak up. I didn’t laugh up, or stand up first either because I’d get the look that told me I was too much. I had to make sure I wasn’t going to be the only one doing something. The idea of other people talking about me if I didn’t fit the mold, just killed me.
Who the heck was that girl, and where did she come from? Apparently, she just showed up one day between art school and becoming a “drone” mechanic. I never worried about being too much before, but…
I felt like a fraud leaving art school for the money because I didn’t think I was smart enough for the job or….man enough. Even worse, I didn’t think I belonged in our social group made up of work peers and their fancy spouses.
Our interests weren’t the same, and I often felt I wasn’t high maintenance enough, or nerdy enough, or political enough, or boozy enough, or worldly enough. I was too crunchy mama, too hippie-dippie, too artsy-fartsy, too passionate, too outspoken, too much to be taken seriously.
You Cannot Be Too Much
Last month I hung out with some powerful peeps in Indianapolis. I felt they were “out of my league,” but one of them said the most powerful thing I’d ever heard. IT FINALLY STUCK!
You are worthy because you are human and enough because you are you. You cannot possibly ever be ‘too much’ because you are worthy of happiness. You were put on this earth for a purpose.
Game Changer
That changed everything for me! It gave me permission to stop believing I was too much and believe I was exactly enough for the right people.
Woman!!!!!!! I want the same thing for you!!! I want you to step into your power and believe you are worthy, and enough, and perfect the way you are, and you don’t need to change for anyone because you cannot be too much for the right people!
Can I help you do that? Can I help you help others do that!??
We’re better together!! And when we realize that, well, that is when the REAL MAGIC begins!
I knew the first week he started his job that I didn’t want to be a police officer’s wife. Don’t be mistaken, I am SO PROUD to be a police officer’s wife, and I love that he’s doing what he set out to do, but that first month I cried every single time he left for work.There was a time that you could proudly tell anyone that your husband was a police officer without worry of backlash. It makes me cringe that it isn’t always the case now.
For three and a half years he worked his butt off, sacrificed family time, and studied to make this happen. He not only earned a bachelor’s degree, but he also completed both phases of the Police Academy, volunteered with teens of incarcerated parents, and completed an unpaid internship in that time. I was nothing short of proud that week in May 2017 when he graduated from college, graduated from the Police Academy, and was sworn in as an officer! My heart exploded with pride to be a police officer’s wife! We even celebrated with a trip to Disneyland (California).
What If
In those first weeks that he was an officer we had to consider a “what if” game plan. What if something happened? It made me sick! Just thinking about breaking the “what if” news to her broke my heart in a million pieces, and I knew that despite being proud to be a police officer’s wife, I wasn’t willing to watch the harsh world harden his heart or ever take this man away from our little one.
You must believe me when I say that I’m so confident in his ability to respond to every situation he’s in and make all the right decisions. I realize there are other jobs out there that are more dangerous than his. Shit, we both served in Iraq and Afghanistan! But, considering the current state of backlash and high disregard for some officers of the law – and understandably so – I was, and really still am, fearful of the what-ifs and the choices that others make around him.
I Don’t Want to Be Police Officer’s Wife Anymore
Everyday I work my butt off as a health and fitness coach to help people live more vibrant lives. It is not just to feel good for helping others, though. My big dream is for my husband to no longer have to leave each day and risk his life. I help others because I don’t want to be a police officer’s wife anymore. I’m working because I’m passionate about ending the trend of obesity, but also because I believe that family is EVERYTHING. Days like this one in the backyard pool make me want more family time! Most of all, I work because this girl loves her daddy so much!
Since our trip to Mexico in April, Vanellope always asks if we can go to Mexico. At first she would ask multiple times a day. Everything was about Mexico to her, and it took us a long time to put it all together. Finally we realized that when she talked about Mexico, she wasn’t talking about the place we went. She wasn’t even talking about the adventure we had. She wasn’t even talking about the pool or the food or the people she met. Vanellope was really asking if we could all just spend time together as a family, uninterrupted.
Soon! Very soon, little one, we’ll go to “Mexico” everyday!
With no shortage of outdoor spaces, Utah is an amazing and active place to live, however, in our 7 years here, we’ve rarely made the time to get out and enjoy the beauty. Now, as parents of a curious and brave toddler and with plans to make the world our backyard with the Dream Bigger Project, it’s time. A simple Google search for “Utah family hike” turned up a few hikes that seemed appropriate for a toddler, and Big Springs Hollow made the top of our list.
We looked for short and easy hikes with excitement along the way, and water is always exciting! With reviews telling us there was plenty of water and little bridges to cross, we suspected a fun family hike. Wanderookie did a cute writeup, and made it sound perfect for Vanellope’s first time! It did not disappoint! Our little adventure seeker loved it!
The trail is advertised as a loop, but we opted to turn around once we reached a long meadow. This was our first hike and we weren’t sure where the “hollow” was. the thought of crossing a long meadow in the hot sun only to turn back around wasn’t appealing. Plus, from what we’ve heard, the trail gets a little steeper after the hollow, and it loops around. Our short out-and-back adventure was only about a mile, but Dakota carried Vanellope for a few minutes on the return, so we’re glad we decided to keep it short.
As suspected, the bridges were a hit. We stopped a few times to wade into the icy cold stream. Vanellope giggled and squealed with delight. The various trees, leaves, grasses and butterflies also provided entertainment. Overall, this was a fantastic family hike for our first time out, and we’ll be heading out again soon!
Family Hike Trail Details
Length:1.2 miles round trip to the hollow or around 4 if you do the loop Difficulty: Easy Dog Friendly: Yes (Leashed) Season: May to October Trailhead: Big Springs Hollow Upper Parking Lot GPS Coordinates: Trailhead: 40.3327, -111.52521
Hollow: 40.32476, -111.53204
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Let’s get to the recipe! Feel free to set your oven on, trim any access fat away from your meat, and spray your baking dish ahead of time. I always prefer to have that stuff done first so that the oven is prepping for me and once I get the seasoning blend mixed up I’m ready to make the best chicken recipe ever! Now, grab up all your seasonings:
The Holy Shit Moment
Meeting Josh Coats Again
Josh Coats’ Life-Changing Question
We looked for short and easy hikes with excitement along the way, and water is always exciting! With reviews telling us there was plenty of water and little bridges to cross, we suspected a fun family hike. 
As suspected, the bridges were a hit. We stopped a few times to wade into the icy cold stream. Vanellope giggled and squealed with delight. The various trees, leaves, grasses and butterflies also provided entertainment. Overall, this was a fantastic family hike for our first time out, and we’ll be heading out again soon!
