The jury is out when it comes to our health.

We should drink 8 glasses of water per day-no wait, you should drink 1/2-1oz water per kilogram of weight, too much water can make us gain weight, the color of your pee will show if you’ve been drinking enough water (clear means you’re good, yellow means drink more), etc.

Alkaline water has become all the rage. There are people who swear by their Kangen (1) Water machines – these in home filtering systems have electrode plates that produce Hydrogen ions and can not only make alkaline water but can also produce different pH levels to satisfy needs like cleaning or beauty regimens. Now for those of us who think spending somewhere around $5k on a machine plus needing to change filters annually is a bit much on the wallet, there are plenty of stores popping up that sell alkaline water.

[I recently learned about the Echo H2 and to me it seems more affordable than Kangen]

Just be sure to do your research because there are many ways to make water alkaline; some are as simple as adding some Sodium Bicarbonate (8) and calling it a day (which doesn’t really do much and actually could end up being bad health-wise). I haven’t researched it myself but I’ve heard some of the plastic water jugs sold in stores and marketed as alkaline do just that-and don’t even get me started on plastic and water….let’s just say a future blog post will pop up here soon so don’t worry ;).

I’ve only recently decided to join the alkaline water kick-probably for the past 3 months or so. I must admit, I feel more hydrated than ever before (I used to drink water and soon after go to the restroom-not anymore). I have better bowel movements (have any of you noticed a change after moving to another part of the country? I did when I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast but chose to ignore it-who knew drinking different water could make all the difference). My skin is clearing up, not only less pimples but also softer skin. I’m not exactly stoked that I have to pay extra for safe water, but my health is too important not to make this a priority. My next step is looking into a filter for my shower head; I’ve been told to look into the Berkey filter. [I did get a Berkey, and although they are the best according to most van lifers, mine leaked at the spout no matter how many times I repositioned it. I personally still feel as if this is one of the better water filter out there, but I’d prefer a better containment system. I don’t like how you can’t see the water, and that it only holds so much and you must refill it and wait for it to filter, that takes too long for me, I’ve recently been trying out the Zero Water system which I’m not sure how I feel yet but it is definitely a more affordable option for most people and I love how they include a TDS tester!].

Photo of water droplet

What is alkaline water anyways? Well, in the science world, alkaline literally means having a pH greater than 7 (2). The unfiltered water we drink straight out of our tap at home is supposed to be around the neutral pH of 7 and you can typically find your local water department’s annual water report (3) to see more information on the water you drink at home. For instance, I can see that San Diego’s 2019 water report shows a pH range of 6.00 – 8.68 depending on your water treatment facility with an average pH of 8.26, slightly alkaline, who knew? But, according the The Environmental Working Group (EWG), the 2019 water report also shows 26 total contaminants in our water, 13 of which exceeded EWG’s safety levels; they also mention on their website (4) that legal limits don’t necessarily mean safe and that water standards haven’t been updated in 20 years.

Why would we even care what pH our water is? According to the US Geological Association, “The pH of water determines the solubility (amount that can be dissolved in the water) and biological availability (amount that can be utilized by aquatic life) of chemical constituents such as nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon) and heavy metals (lead, copper, cadmium, etc.). For example, in addition to affecting how much and what form of phosphorus is most abundant in the water…In the case of heavy metals, the degree to which they are soluble determines their toxicity. Metals tend to be more toxic at lower pH because they are more soluble. (5)”

Our water treatment plants have a big job to undertake; we barely know what is in our water, I doubt any of us pay attention to the things we use everyday like dish soap, shampoo, makeup, laundry detergent, cleaning products, etc. The more toxic the chemicals we use, the harder it is for them to filter them out of our drinking supply. I wonder why this isn’t a bigger deal? Why don’t we see PSA’s informing us that what goes down the drain might eventually end up in your drinking water? Only recently (6) have people been slightly informed of what happens when they dump their medication down their toilets. We can walk down a the isle of our local mega store and easily find charcoal filters like PUR or Brita, but no other options? Those two types only filter very specific things and can still let bacteria and viruses through (7). Why do alkaline stores seem only to pop up in certain places and, at least to my knowledge, not in lower income areas? Have you even heard of alkaline water before reading this blog entry?

This blog isn’t intended to sway your opinion from tap water to alkaline water. There are so many ways to filter water including reverse osmosis (RO), UV light, etc. I’m blessed because not only do I pay for alkaline water, but they first run it through RO filters and then also UV light so I get all the bang for my buck. I think this is more of a call to action-for your health-notice how you feel the next time you drink water, pay attention to your body and how it reacts to different things you ingest. Look up your local water utility report, check what toxins might be present in your water, compare toxins in your water to toxins associated with impacting health. Do you have a health problem that can be traced back to a toxin found in the water you’re paying for and assuming is safe for you, your kids, your pets?

Why are we continuing to pay our local utilities to send unsafe water to our homes? Maybe we should start advocating for the safety of our water now before we end up like Flint, Michigan and other places that don’t make the news but have been living in subpar conditions for who knows how long. Why do some communities suffer more from health conditions? Why do some communities have beautiful sprawling parks when others have factories that spew toxins into the air? Why do you have a Stein Mart and I have a Walmart? Start noticing the nuances when you drive around and try to be more aware of all the things that differ from place to place. We must first open our eyes and then our hearts, start to question things of interest: We can all make a difference and change begins with you.

MY LOCAL TRUSTED WATER SOURCE: Not to bore you but I contacted my local water source and asked a few questions, I’d like to highlight this exchange here because we all have the right to ask questions, especially when we are paying for something! I was already a fan of this place just based on my own results after drinking their water, but now I’m even a bigger fan. They responded in one day, answered ALL of my questions and didn’t skip over anything: now this is what you want from any source of any product anytime you purchase anything. I hope you will begin to question things in your life and not just take them at face value. It took me almost 40 years to start questioning, but I’m never going to stop-and I’ll never stop sharing what I learn! We get our water at Living Water in Encinitas, CA and they just opened a second location in Carlsbad. Their website offers a diagram (9) of their setup for further understanding but I went one step further and asked some things I was unsure of, here is the exchange:

Q: How long does 5 gallons of sitting water stay alkalinized for? Would it stay alkaline for 1 day, 3 days, etc? 

A: The water will stay alkaline for at least 2-3 weeks if you keep the bottle capped tightly. The way the water will lose its alkalinity is through oxidization so as long as you’re keeping the bottle tightly sealed it will hold its pH level for 2-3 weeks. 

Q: Do you use electrolysis or minerals to make the water alkaline? Can you explain?

A: We do not use electrolysis, we use a mixture of mineral and tourmaline ceramic media filters. The media emit far infrared rays which then ionize magnesium, potassium, and calcium ions in the water and raise the pH as well. 

Q: Is the alkaline water run through reverse osmosis first prior to becoming alkaline?

A: We do purify our alkaline water first. We use our RO purified water to pass through the filters with the media in it to alkalinize the water. 

Q: Exactly what is filtered out and what minerals do you put back into the water? 

A: Our reverse osmosis purification process uses membrane filters to purify the water, which removes virtually everything from the water which is why our Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) no greater than 10 parts per million (PPM), compared to water out of the tap which can have more than 600 PPM TDS. We remove fluoride, chlorine, sediment, lead, pesticides and more. On top of that we use a UV light to sterilize the water killing bacteria and viruses before it is stored in our tanks. 

Q: Do you test your final output/do you have a copy of the testing you’d be willing to share?

A: I do not currently have a copy of the tests, but I will talk to my father about getting a copy

Resources:

(1) https://enagiceu.com/page/electrolysis-process?lang=en&utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=kangen

(2) http://oer2go.org/mods/en-boundless-static/www.boundless.com/biology/definition/alkaline/index.html?utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=alkaline

(3) https://www.sandiego.gov/public-utilities/water-quality/water-quality-reports?utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=sd-water-report

(4) https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CA3710020&utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=ewg-sd-report

(5) https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/ph-and-water?qt-science_center_objects=0&utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=uses#qt-science_center_objects

(6) https://www.pca.state.mn.us/featured/dont-flush-medicines-down-drain?utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=drugs-in-water-supply

(7) https://www.healthline.com/health/home/water-filter-pitcher?utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=water-filters

(8) https://holisticprimarycare.net/topics/nutrition-a-lifestyle/baking-soda-is-no-ally-in-raising-alkaline-levels/?utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=baking-soda-alkaline-water

(9) http://livingwaterencinitas.com/index.php/our-reverse-osmosis-purification-process/?utm_source=timesite&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=living-water-encinitas

Pic of veggies I took the day I met him

We got to chat with our new favorite local farmer, Rob Horton from Bee Organic Farm & Apiary the other day. It is always good to know where the food you purchase is coming from and even better when you truly have control over where your hard earned money is really going, especially if it helps support neighbors, the environment, and your health – win, win!

Rob Horton and his wife Rocki have really decided to put their heart, soul and bank accounts into this endeavor.  I don’t know many people who would decide farming over retirement – I mean that with as much love as possible Rob!  (I too know what it means to leave a lucrative career to dive deeper into something more meaningful and less profit generating).

Bee Organic Farm & Apiary is providing fresh, local and organically certified food for Gray’s Harbor and that is not easy with a small team but they are certainly making a name for themselves.  Rest assured that when you get your produce from Bee Organic Farm & Apiary it has been harvested within a hours of you receiving it, that is something not many farms can guarantee!  

After reminiscing with Rob about the whole farm to table footprint, it was a great reminder that fresh vegetables from a typical grocery store aren’t as nutritious as one would think.  A typical vegetable in your local grocery store has traveled many miles to get there with many stops along the way so the carbon footprint is one thing, but the loss of nutrients is a whole other part to the story.  “[I]t’s important to remember that food is most nutritious at the point of harvest, says Fatima Hachem, Senior Nutrition Officer at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.” (1)  “Locally produced fruits and vegetables are higher in nutritional content to the degree to which local sourcing shortens the time between harvest and sale.” (2)  Our busy lives might find it more convenient to stop at one store and get all the food for our week, but research shows convenience doesn’t equate to health!

Eating local produce isn’t just good support for your local farmer, it’s an easy way to invest in your community and your own health.  “Research in Seattle finds that dollars spent at local food restaurants and grocers result in more than twice the usual impact on the local economy compared to household spending at typical restaurants and grocers (Sonntag 2008, working paper). This same study estimated that for every $100 spent at an average grocery store, $25 is re-spent locally; for every $100 spent at a farmers market, $62 is re-spent locally.” “In two national U.S. studies examining the relationship between food environment and county-level health outcomes, researchers found that the level of direct farm sales was associated with lower levels of mortality and obesity (Ahern et al. 2011), and lower levels of morality, obesity, and diabetes (Salois 2011). Salois 2011 estimated that for each $100 dollar increase in per capita direct farm sales, the county-level obesity rate can be expected to decline by 0.90% – 1.0%.” (2)  

Now, I’m not saying never to shop at a grocery store again, let’s be real, I like rice, pasta and ice cream too, but everything in life is a balance, including indulgence.  Sometimes it seems that it costs more to support local in terms of convenience or maybe even pricing but, when and if you really compare the health costs, where is most of our hard earned money going anyways?  I’d venture a guess to unnecessary medical bills.  Are we willing to start tipping the scale towards a more healthy local economy and inadvertently a healthier us?  Let’s rethink our food future, and remember to support those who are doing the work to provide us a healthier alternative like my new friends over at Bee Organic Farm & Apiary!

Resources:

(1) https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200427-frozen-fresh-or-canned-food-whats-more-nutritious 
(2) https://cefs.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/research-based-support-for-local-food-systems.pdf

plastic turtle Photo by Missouri Department of Conservation

I know the title is probably a bit confusing…this week I’ve been thinking a lot about plastic waste. We all know, or maybe we don’t perhaps, that plastic ends up in our water supply, in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and even on animals!  

I don’t believe we can simply remove plastic from our lives as wonderful an option as that may seem.  What would the pipes that feed our faucets water be made with if not PEX tubing (which is a type of plastic), how would surgeon’s suture us up when we get hurt (yeah, they use plastic too), what would we do without the coveted ziplock bag?  Not to mention our car bumpers, garbage cans, etc, the list goes on.  If we banned plastic, we’d be in trouble.

So, how can we – you and me – help make this world a better place?

We’re all inevitably connected to plastic in one way or another.

For starters, we could realize that even though plastic is convenient, it doesn’t need to be used everywhere.  We could begin to pay attention to places in our lives where we choose to use plastic out of sheer laziness and craft new and interesting ways to change that habit, or to be sure that the plastic we are using doesn’t end up wrapped around a poor turtle and suffocate it to death. 

I honestly love ziplock bags and will probably never stop using them.  I’ve dabbled in the silicone reusable bags and they just don’t work the same…and they get stained from food and look pretty disgusting after a few uses.  

But when I use a ziplock bag, or any plastic bag (chips, etc) and then dispose of it, I cut the bag open all the way so it doesn’t have any way to get stuck around an animal or hurt them in any way.  It’s my small way of taking one plastic problem and making sure it isn’t a problem anymore.  

We can be a part of the solution with small mindful acts every day.

How can you change the way you use plastic?

Amazon photo EWG donation
A few years ago went to a Food Tank event in LA. It was pretty neat hearing all these advocates talking about how to change the food world we live in. 

There was one especially cool guy there who spoke: his name is Ron Finley. Ever heard of him? He calls himself “The Gangsta Gardener”. He’s probably the coolest dude I’ve seen on stage. He doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not, he doesn’t put on a pretty smile for the audience, but he does do good for his community every day.  I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the amazing stuff he does but he basically started guerrilla gardening in low income neighborhoods aka throwing seeds in the median of the road and seeing what grew.  He also teaches people how to be self sufficient who wouldn’t necessarily have access to learning about growing fresh organic foods.  That night on stage, someone asked Ron Finley why he accepts money from corporations for what he does and his answer? “Sometimes you’ve gotta sleep with the devil.”  

Over the past few years I realized just how many devils I was sleeping with and I wanted to walk the walk instead of just talking a talk.

So…I have recently adjusted some things in my life such as changing my IRA into a more socially responsible company, comment below if you’re interested in who that company is!  And I did intentionally divest from Vanguard. 

When I talk about putting my money where my mouth is, I genuinely try to follow that as much as I can in life; however, nobody’s perfect.

Cue Amazon. Let’s be real, they are geniuses. They literally have anything you could ever want/need and they deliver it to you for free if you’re a member.  With shipping prices these days I don’t understand how it all works but who cares, amirite?  

I know there’s been a lot of 1%er talk over the past few years and I did agree with a lot of it. BUT, let’s face it. Amazon is convenient and convenience generally wins.  

So what did I do to make myself feel better about using Amazon?  I started using Amazon Smile.  If you haven’t tried it yet you literally just type in smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com, you choose a charity for them to give a percentage of your sales to, and voila! I love it when I get those emails stating that my charity has received x number of dollars from qualifying purchases thanks to Amazon Smile.

Have you even heard of or do you use Amazon Smile? Did you know that you can even have a local charity jump on that train and get donations made to them for people buying their everyday stuff? Pretty cool concept from a business whose CEO is one of the richest men alive. “Sometimes you’ve gotta sleep with the devil.” But sometimes you might be able to see the devil has a few tricks up his sleeve that you can use to your advantage. Does Amazon get to write off donations and then deduct that from their taxes? They sure do! But if the money is going to charity vs the tax man, I’d say it’s not such a bad thing after all.

I have a tattoo that says just that. 

When we live life with passion, we also become more compassionate.

I believe that we must do what makes us happy, our health depends on it. We also cannot live for anyone but ourselves. If you don’t want to get a degree in what your parents decide for you, it’s probably a good indication that if you do oblige to their desires, you might be pushing aside a very important part of yourself.

Hear me out: Only you can decide what is right and wrong for you.  Only you can change yourself and similarly you cannot change others. You can however, help people realize things about themselves if they are willing and ready to go down that path, but you cannot make them realize things just by being brutally honest (and you might even push them away if you were to be). 

Listen with your heart. Hear with your mind. Let things sink in. Don’t respond right away if you aren’t fully aware of what might be coming out of your mouth. The more we realize who we are, the more able we are to do what is right and avoid any damage.

So who do you want to be? 

And, do you want to change for you or because someone else wants you to change?

There are things I never learned from my parents, fancy unused education (that cost me thousands in debt), or even reading it in a book-although I may have read something similar in some pages somewhere. 

When you start to do the inner work necessary, you will begin to Live life with comPASSION and believe me, you’ll never want to turn back.

A sweet little town with a heart of gold.

I actually had to make myself leave because I wanted to spend money on everything – it’s a good thing the gem store and sweet shop are closed on Saturday’s! 

Stop#1: Sherry’s Homestyle Bakery

• Hometown feel with wooden chair and table sets, charming, wooden floors and ceiling, exposed brick wall

• Adorable little shop inside with goods like cookie cutters of all shapes (even fish and wine bottles!), aprons, coffee, tea, jellies/jams, honey, syrup, kitchen towels, gift wrap, cards, etc.

• All sorts of food options for breakfast and lunch including the famous Pasty’s I still have yet to try, will be back one day to do so!

Stop#2: Town Thrift Shop – H&R (non-profit, all proceeds go to the hospital and respite care in town, volunteer-run)

• The ladies greeted me upon arrival and made me feel extremely welcome, the small towns are so great out here in Big Sky Country!

• I lucked out and it was a BOGO day for women’s clothing, not only did I find one thing, but I found about 10 things and only spent $17, and it goes to a good cause so win-win!

• The prices are already amazing (but negotiable), I didn’t feel it necessary to negotiate but great to know that it is accessible to all income levels.

• They literally have everything from clothing, children toys, board games, books, records, cds and dvds, kitchen stuff, bedding, to hardware and tools.

Stop #3: Snookie’s Mercantile

• This place was the best curated store I’ve ever been to, I wanted to buy everything!

• It was named after owner Lynn’s Great Aunt Snookie, she even has a photo of Snookie behind the register!

• They have an upstairs and a downstairs complete with a wine and cheese cellar, gifts galore from pottery, luxury soaps, rubs for grilling, clothing and accessories, kitchen items, wall art, bags of all kinds, teas, jewelry, and more!

Oh yeah, I can’t forget the sweetest thing – the town cat! Apparently it belongs to someone in the apartments near the mercantile. At first I watched it staring intently at a bird, then it decided to make every human that walked by pet it – if anyone ignored it, it would run alongside them like a dog following them and meowing, pretty entertaining to say the least. Of course when nobody was left and it looked like it still needed some love, I got out of the car and obliged.

Well, that pretty much sums up the day in a nutshell, definitely a gem on Historic Highway 1, The Pintler Scenic Byway – I highly recommend a stop to Philipsburg, MT if you’re ever in the area!

Photo of Parallel pooping only haha

The townspeople feed the deer so needless to say they’re quite comfortable using, and pooping on the sidewalks! You’ll also find deer laying in random peoples yards sunning themselves, it’s chill here in Anaconda. Not only will you get your dose of nature, but you can eat at one of the many local spots, checkout a great event at the Washoe, and even stay in a hostel if that’s your jam!

>>>>>>> 

WASHOE PARK

Photo of deer and I at Washoe

I was reading a sign down at Washoe Park which is super adorable and full of walking trails with a beautiful creek, or “crick” as Montanans like to call it, going through the park. Back to the sign, so I was standing there reading about the park and this little guy came up and said, “Hey lady, got any food?” I replied “I’m sorry, I do not” and held out my empty hand to which he licked and then quickly found me uninteresting.

Photos of view of smelter stack, creek and walkway along it

>>>>>>> 

FIREFLY CAFE

I was lucky enough to meet the owner of The Firefly Cafe, Barbie, the other day. Phew! Does this lady have a story, and great pants I might add.

Photo of Barb

If you’re looking for a place that caters to all dietary levels, this is the place for you! They have smoked meats, vegetarian fare and baked goods!

Photo of outside

The outside of the building is a little confusing, it almost looks like you need to be part of some club to enter, but all you have to do is open the door and step inside, who knew? The building has a great mural on it and the little entrance is a bit deceiving but once you make the choice to enter, you find a friendly staff and fresh tasty food!

>>>>>>> 

WASHOE THEATER

For a small town in the middle of winter, I must say I’m impressed. One week I went to a free performance by Butte Symphony called “Movies & Their Music” for the price of some donated canned goods for the local food pantry, talk about community coming together for the greater good and for even better entertainment!

Photos of Washoe outside, national historic signs, inside, etc

Not only is the Washoe on the National Register of Historic Places, but all of the buildings in this town have little plaques like this one above and you can do a mini history walking tour and read all about the exact building you’re walking by!

Some more photos of the beautiful Washoe Theater:

My new friend from Helena who not only had a great booth full of beautiful African goods like carved wooden animals and weaved baskets, but also was the highlight of the event for me. After taking my money, she took the sticker off the animal and said, “Now I’m going to test you, and if you fail, you have to go find me a penny. And I have your money and your item now….” Then she said the words Africa>Zimbabwe>Harare>Victoria Falls>Charles>Mahogany and proceeded to explain that we should know where the products we purchase come from and their history-LIKE YAAAAAASSSS THIS IS WHAT I’M ALL WANTING TO BE ABOUT, RIGHT? HOW DID SHE KNOW???!! So yeah, my little wooden giraffe was carved by a guy named Charles who lives in Victoria Falls which is in Harare, Zimbabwe on the continent of Africa and it was made out of Mahogany wood. Thank you so much, I loved this experience and I love my little giraffe! For those who don’t know, and how would you? I have loved giraffes since I was a little girl…likely due to the fact that I’ve always been tall and skinny and they made me feel less alone, but I finally not only got me a giraffe figurine, but I really feel more of a connection to my purchase and know that it is supporting a Victoria Falls local who carves things out of Mahogany…not just some cheap good from China (no offense to China, we love cheap things here in America) but isn’t it so much better to learn more about who/what we’re supporting with our hard earned money? I think it is!

>>>>>>> 

PINTLER’S PORTAL HOSTEL and 5518 Designs

Did you know Anaconda has a hostel? Well it does – and it is super accommodating – and even has an outdoorsy retail store by Butte locals 5518 Designs! There are few places to rent out here so this is the perfect spot to stay for a short trip to Anaconda! They even have staff who teach wilderness and outdoorsy classes!

Photos of hostel and steve!

>>>>>> 

MARCUS DALY MOTEL

I’m going to throw one last thing in because I can’t say enough good things about this place! Faye the owner is pretty much the best ever. So accommodating, kind and a wealth of knowledge! People I’ve spoken to think she should run for Mayor and I reply, she basically already is! If you’re looking for some great locals to support while you’re in Anaconda, definitely grab a room at the Marcus Daly Motel…if Faye doesn’t steal your heart, the water pressure in the showers will have you coming back for more!

By the way, for the history lovers out there, Marcus Daly is the guy who started the copper smelting business here in Anaconda back in 1880.

Photo of marcus daly sign looking west down park ave

Photo looking down Park Ave…if you look hard enough you can see the Marcus Daly Motel sign…where’s Waldo anyone? Anaconda has two main streets: one going in, and one going out…or one going out, one going in? Either way…Park goes towards Butte and Commercial goes towards Georgetown Lake and Philipsburg. Anaconda is a great mid point to stop for some perusing if you’re ever on the 1.

Alright Anaconda…I might have doubted you at first superfund site…get it? But you’re showing me that there’s a lot more to you than that bit of history. Thank you for showing me that winter doesn’t have to be boring if you don’t always want to drive out into the mountains or freeze on a lake to enjoy it. Keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll keep telling people to come visit this cute little community oriented spot in Montana!

I built a van.

I can’t believe it but I did it in 53 days. 3 months in total but 53 days in actuality.

I had no prior experience.

I spent about a year researching online and seeing the mistakes others had made or the things they found to be the best and I compiled my list of must haves and to dos.

Meet Romy, The Ram Promaster. I’m also a huge fan of alliteration. I used to have a motorcycle named Lucy the Lowrider, ya dig?

Photos of van

When it came down to it, I spent $15k on the build, the van was a cost on top of that but forget about all of that. If I didn’t build during a pandemic, it likely could’ve cost about half of what I spent.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY

I’ve got to admit, the two things that scared me the most about #vanlife was using a restroom and figuring out where to dispose of things.

1. I’ll start with the ugly. We had 2 dogs with us. What to do with all that poo? Well, I found out exactly what to do with it and I’m quite happy with how it turned out. We used it for 3 months with no smell issues. Meet the weed bag that saved our van from stinking by Koala Blue

photo of poop / weed bag

2. When you gotta go, you gotta go…and sometimes it’s freezing out or you are driving and don’t have time to stop. For that I was happy with a bedside urinal. It allowed two people to pee 2x each, and I pee like Tom Hanks in A League of their Own! Just don’t confuse this one with the ones that you can cut the length of the tubing, I did and then had to go to Home Depot and buy some things to fix that, ha.

photo of

3. Trash. All the garbage…you’re not going to want a giant bag of trash stinking up your van either. I found the perfect thing, this little guy (or gal) not saying any gender is indicative of the term trash ok? But this little trash can was just what we needed. It perfectly fit a plastic grocery bag in it and also perfectly fit into whatever trash receptacle we stumbled upon whether it be those ones at parks that only allow certain sized things in them, etc. It also fit perfectly under my sink so win, win, win, win!

photo of

4. Water. Definitely need water. And I wasn’t going to deal with a giant plastic made of who knows what tank that sits under the vehicle and has to be cleaned who knows when and who knows how. So I used 5 gallon Italian glass jugs which were perfect and again, fit perfectly under my sink and in my garage. I can’t really vouch for these specific ones because I got mine through my local water store. I made sure to get Italian glass though because it is known to be more uniformly made aka stronger than Chinese glass carboys.

Not only do these come in handy because you can fill up literally anywhere, but they are fairly easy to take to most stops on Findaspring.com. And, well, for people like me who hate to work out, they are about 40-50lbs when full of water so you get your bonus arm and leg workout for the day, hey, why not?

photo of jug

photo of jug in van garage

This carboy comes with stuff for beer or wine making but I used red plastic caps that mostly sealed, I had to keep the bottles at an angle on specific holders I crafted for the purpose and it’s not an exact science or a totally spill proof thing, but it worked for me. If your garage is taller, the jugs could easily stand up vs lean the way I had to deal with it.

5. Water filters. I’m pretty sure we all know that water is not exactly the best quality these days, even if you get it from a natural spring. For this reason, pretty much everyone I know in or out of #vanlife feels most confident about Berkey. They filter things I’ve never even heard of out of the water! But to be safe you should buy the regular with the flouride/arsenic additional filters. These filters are supposed to last about a year so don’t let the price totally screw with you. Hey, they even have shower head filters if you want to get really into it! The system that Berkey designed leaves little to be desired and it’s expensive so if you’re lazy and just want it done for you, purchase this. If you’re more of a DIY person, and you likely are with #vanlife, you can always just buy two pots and stack them on each other and then drill holes accordingly and buy a spigot. See this cool youtube video for inspiration.

photo of Berkey Filters

6. Vacuum. Yes, it is a good thing to have! And, this one doubles as a tire inflator, really! It works too!

photo of vacuum/tire pump

7. Faucet and Sink. I’m a foodie. Like, big time. I got a big fridge and a big sink. And I loved every minute of them! This faucet has the looks of the expensive ones with a separate drinking water faucet but has copper tubing so if you’re afraid of that maybe steer clear. Since it isn’t an everyday use, I thought it worked great!

photo of cheap but fancy looking faucet

I got the 25″ which is huuuuggee so I’ll include the 23″ one here, but this Kraus sink is legit! And did you plan a drying rack in your van build? Or a countertop space for drying dishes? We sure didn’t and this saved our butts big time! The drying rack rolls up for easy storage to so it’s amazing because you still can use the sink when the dishes are drying if you store the cutting board elsewhere!

photo of sink

8. I’m all about being prepared enough for the what ifs…we literally got stuck in the sand on night one of van life…at 10pm in the middle of the desert. I’m glad we had the traction mats we had…but it was a kind generous human who was out at that time that was the real life saver and the mats we bought flew into the dark abyss so that was fun. Here’s something that doesn’t require another human to be around if your battery needs jumping: The Noco Boost XL Jump Starter Box. You just have to be sure to charge it and have it ready to go!

photo of Noico Boost XL

The Good: Staying Warm

9. Before building the van, you need to research your options for insulating your van. There are so many things out there, just don’t use old jeans because they will get moist and harbor mold, at least so I’ve read. I chose Havelock Wool because I love the company’s transparency and they just seemed like the best option and fit my values. I had the 2021 Ram Promaster 2500 159 WB and I bought 4 bags to be safe (they compress 2 bags into one so that’s why it looks like 2 bags here), I probably would’ve been fine buying 3 because I used about 2.5 bags and put it in the floor, ceiling, doors, and walls. Just to be transparent, the wool does have Borax in it to keep the critters out, keep that in mind when stuffing it places, the Borax should not be breathed in and you should wear a mask when using it.

photo of Havelock

Safety First!

photo of me in a gas mask

10. I’m all about health and thinking long term safety for me and the environment. I used a 0 VOC finish on all my wood and even though it doesn’t bill itself food grade or waterproof, it is. It’s also expensive…but I think it was worth it. Rubio Monocoat is what the professionals use and the guys at the store said it is a game changer, their fathers got cancer from the stuff they used to use in the floor finishing industry.

photo of Rubio monocoat testers on wood

Well, that about sums up my first #vanlife post for y’all, Happy Building!

I miss my dogs.

Sometimes life hands you lemons.

It was the situation at the time and it just made sense for them to stay with the other fur parent. But lately it’s been especially hard to be so far away from them.

These are my furbabies:

Photo of Sedona and Zion faces in car seats smiling

Sedona on the left (she always gets mistaken for a boy) and Zion on the right (he always has people stopping and saying how beautiful of a dog he is). Although they aren’t living with me anymore, they are very much my furbabies, and always will be!

This is Flash, my sweet kitty who passed back in 2018 or 2019. You can think this sounds impossible, but he very much visited me in 2020, it was just the closure I needed.

Photo of Flash sleeping

I visited him sometime in 2017 (before he died). It was such a good day to see my boy again, he was hiding for a good bit of time when I arrived, but I kept going back to try and find him and when I did he definitely remembered me:

3 Photos of Flash rubbing on me when I was at Jenna and Jess’

My life has been one of moving and leaving things behind. Not abandoning them, but even so, it sure feels like it! I cannot judge others for leaving animals behind because I realize, I have left my own behind due to situations I’ve been in. They were left with the other fur parent, but still. I left them. And over the years that has really eaten at me. And for those who run into situations where there isn’t a friend or family member to take their pet when a certain situation arises…..who are we to judge, really?

So…what is one to do when they miss their babies…

Volunteer at the local animal shelter of course!

In comes Pintler Pets in Anaconda, MT.

It wasn’t easy to get a hold of them due to the amount of pets and the extra help required, but one day the answering machine was finally available. I received a callback from an amazing woman named Corrine. She has volunteered there for about a year and a half and she is just lovely. She couldn’t be more thrilled to have another volunteer on board (and they could use more so call them if interested, I wouldn’t recommend just filling out an online volunteer application and waiting because the phones seem to be your best bet)!

The past few weeks I’ve gotten to walk all the adult dogs they have and they are such a bunch of sweet dogs – just the furbaby love I needed!

Here’s John:

Photo of John c/u

And his sweet but timid brother Wayne:

Photo of Wayne in woods laying down

After 2 days of getting them on leash they are already better walking on them!

And here is a dog that has been here for 6 years. Talk about no kill shelter!

This is Winnie, their feral dog. The website asked for someone who would come and bring her cheeseburgers and sit with her. On day 2, she took one out of my hand! I was on the other side of the fence, but….day 2! This just goes to show how a little time and attention can shift a dogs responses to humans very quickly, I am so happy to see so many changes in such a short time! And the day I forgot to bring a burger because I was so excited to bring my friends’ homemade dog treats (That you can find at Valley Foods in Deer Lodge by the way), and she loved them! No burger necessary. I even got her to come about 1 foot from me-I just had to be bent down and throw the treat close to myself, not stare into her eyes, and not move!

Photos of Winnie eating treats

And here is Meatloaf…(she’s a girl) literally the sweetest!

Photos of Meatloaf on leash smiling and kissing me

So my life of volunteering at animal shelters started when I was a kid. My grandma took me to the local SPCA and I remember getting on a local tv station on The Debbie and Debbie Show, unfortunately I don’t have that footage on me, but my grandma did transcribe an old letter to the editor I wrote, here it is for your reading enjoyment:

Go to SPCA for your pets

Dear Editor:

I am a 12-year-old volunteer at the Ulster County SPCA.

I just want people to know about all the wonderful cats, dogs, horses, donkeys, llamas, rabbits and, I believe, quite a few finches. They are all beautiful animals that need good homes.

I would like people to make this an option before going and spending money at an expensive pet shop.

I can’t believe some of these great animals. One of them jumps on his hind legs and waves his paws. The person who trained this dog did a good job, but the thing is it doesn’t have a name!

Well, there are many beautiful animals there that people should get. I am happy to say a lot more animals are getting adopted.

JESSICA COLLINS

Saugerties

I wrote that at 12 years old, what a trip! And here I am at 39, going back to my roots, how cool is that? So…in short, if you even made it this far….ADOPT DON’T SHOP! There are so many beautiful animals waiting for their furever home, go check them out at your local shelter! There is no reason to buy from a breeder, especially if you aren’t planning on showing your dog at an AKC event, go on, check out a sweet shelter dog, you know you want to! 😉

–>I just wanted to throw in one last thing, since I’m all about shopping local…I recently discovered a local place in Bozeman, MT and I inquired about getting some collars and leashes, they were very receptive and I learned that they do sometimes have misprints and other non-sellable items that they happily donate to shelters, just wanted to give a shoutout and say thanks to MTN Straps, thanks for your awesome designs and good hearts!

Update 5/19/22: They are just as beautiful as the website presents them, and look darn good on the pups, thanks for the discount MTN Straps!

Photos of the dogs/leashes

update 5/22/22: I am currently reading Rachel Louise Carson’s Silent Spring, quite fittingly after writing this post 2 days ago I must add…”If the Bill of Rights contains no guarantee that a citizen shall be secure against lethal poisons distributed either by private individuals or by public officials, it is surely only because our forefathers, despite their considerable wisdom and foresight could conceive of no such problem.”

I did a little bit of research and realized just how little I actually know about our Constitution [ratified in 1789] and its 27 Amendments*1. Being slightly ignorant of the things that are in place to protect us and our rights against government overreach….and because of the current state of our country and the world, I decided it time I actually read more of the legal documents that our country was founded upon.

“According to Article V of the Constitution, an amendment must either be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of state legislatures. Either way, a proposed amendment only becomes part of the Constitution when ratified by legislatures or conventions in three-fourths of the states (38 of 50 states)…This has never occurred, though state legislatures have passed hundreds of resolutions over the years calling for a constitutional convention over issues ranging from a balanced budget to campaign finance reform…1” The first 10 Amendments are known as The Bill of Rights and the remainder were ratified at later dates. According to History.com:

1st Amendment: “It states that Congress can pass no law that encroaches on an American freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble and freedom to petition the government.1“

2nd Amendment: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed…The crux of the debate is whether the amendment protects the right of private individuals to keep and bear arms, or whether it instead protects a collective right that should be exercised only through formal militia units.1“

3rd Amendment: “This amendment prohibits the quartering of militia in private homes in either war or peacetime without consent of the homes’ owners…1“

4th Amendment: “…the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures…1“

5th Amendment: “…right to refuse to testify against oneself (or “plead the Fifth”)…1“

6th Amendment: “It ensures the right to a public trial by an impartial jury without a significant delay and gives defendants the right to hear the charges against them, call and cross-examine witnesses and retain a lawyer to defend them in court.1“

7th Amendment: “…extends the right to a jury trial to federal civil cases such as automobile accidents, property disputes, breach of contract, and discrimination lawsuits. It also prevents federal judges from overturning jury verdicts based on questions of fact, rather than law.1“

8th Amendment: “In banning the requirement of “excessive bail,” the imposition of “excessive fines,” and the infliction of “cruel and unusual punishment,”…1“

9th Amendment: “It ensures that even while certain rights are enumerated in the Constitution, people still retain other non-enumerated rights.1“

10th Amendment: “As the final amendment in the Bill of Rights, the 10th Amendment originally aimed to reassure Anti-Federalists by further defining the balance of power between the national government and those of the individual states. According to the 10th Amendment, the federal government’s powers are limited to those expressly given to it by the Constitution, while all other powers are reserved for the states or the people.1“

11th Amendment: “…removes all cases involving suits between states from federal court jurisdiction.1“

12th Amendment: “…provides the method for selecting president and vice president of the United States. Though Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution had mandated that each elector cast two votes without differentiating between their choices for president and vice president, the 12th Amendment requires electors to split the balloting for the two offices.1“

13th Amendment: “…amendment to abolish slavery.1“

14th Amendment: “…Section 1 guarantees “equal protection under the laws” to all citizens…Section 2 of the 14th Amendment repealed the three-fifths clause of the original Constitution, which held that each enslaved person counted for three-fifths of a person. It specified that every resident of a state should be counted as a full person for the purposes of congressional representation. Section 3, aimed at former Confederate leaders, holds that Congress can bar any official who “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the United States from holding public office. Section 4 exempted federal and state governments from paying any debts incurred by the former Confederate states or compensating them for the loss of their human property. Finally, Section 5 of the 14th Amendment gives Congress the authority to create laws to enforce the amendment’s provisions, a sweeping mandate that would strengthen the power of the federal government in relation to the states.1“

15th Amendment: “After Congress enfranchised Black male voters in the South by passing the Reconstruction Act of 1867, it sought to protect this right under the Constitution…The promise of the 15th Amendment to protect Black voting rights remained unfulfilled until the civil rights movement and passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.1“

16th Amendment: “…gives Congress the power to enact a nationwide income tax…1“

17th Amendment: “…altered the structure of Congress as set out in Article I of the Constitution, removing from state legislatures the power to choose U.S. senators and giving it directly to the voters of each state.1“

18th Amendment: “…banned “the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors,” but not their consumption…1“

19th Amendment: “…forbidding the United States or any state from denying or abridging the right to vote to any citizen “on account of sex,” 30 states and one territory allowed women to vote in at least some elections. Even after ratification of the 19th Amendment, many women of color were subject to various types of voter suppression until passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.1“

20th Amendment: “…shortened this “lame-duck” period by specifying that regular terms for members of the Senate and House of Representatives begin on January 3 of the year following their election. It also moved up the inauguration of the president by six weeks, moving it to January 20.1“

21st Amendment: “…ended Prohibition and left the states in charge of regulating the sale and consumption of liquor, is the only amendment that repeals an earlier amendment (the 18th). It’s also the only one to be ratified by state ratifying conventions rather than state legislatures.1“

22nd Amendment: “…limited future presidents to two terms.1“

23rd Amendment: “…giving D.C. residents the right to choose electors for presidential and vice-presidential elections in the same way the states do.1“

24th Amendment: “…eliminate poll taxes…applied only to federal elections, and after its ratification several southern states tried to maintain poll taxes for separately held state elections.1“

25th Amendment: “…states that the vice president will succeed the president in case of the latter’s death or resignation, and lays out the procedure for filling a vacancy in the vice president’s office. It also allows the president to declare a temporary inability to serve—as in the case of undergoing surgery—and resume powers when able. The fourth and most controversial section, which has never been invoked, empowers the vice president to become acting president if the president is determined (by the vice president and the majority of the Cabinet, backed by Congress) to be unable to perform the duties of the office.1“

26th Amendment: “…lowering the legal voting age to 18 in all U.S. elections.1“

27th Amendment: “By prohibiting any law raising or lowering the salaries of members of Congress from taking effect before the start of a new session of Congress begins…1“

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights*2 website gives us examples of violations against the UN International Bill of Human Rights and I’m empowered by the examples. First, one must seeif their country has adopted these as their own, but if so…as constituents, we have the duty to ensure our representatives and our government do not violate our basic human rights. Sadly, I have noticed many of these exact examples coming to fruition in the past couple of years and throughout history. I have even spoken to a current East Coast State legislator who admitted that they have personally seen illegal bills pass through the government.

“Violations occur when a Government fails in its obligations to respect, protect and fulfil these rights. Examples include:

Forcibly evicting people from their homes (the right to adequate housing and the right to choose his or her place of residence)

Water treatment facilities contaminating drinking water (the right to health and the right to life)

Failure to ensure a minimum wage sufficient for a decent living (the right to work and the right to equality before the law) 

Denying a person access to information and services related to sexual and reproductive health (the right to health and the right to life)

Systematically segregating children with disabilities from mainstream schools (the right to education and the right to equality and non-discrimination)

Banning the use of minority or indigenous languages (the right to participate in cultural life and the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language)2“

We have the ability to report violations and fill complaint forms. They seem to result only in the receiving of a letter to the violator, but it serves as a warning that we will not continue to allow violations to occur, step one if you will. I feel it would be important to report violations as a collective, a town, city, state, group of businesses, community members, etc. If interested see links below:

Report a Violation*2

Complaint Form*2

Interesting read: Article: Why the Bill of Rights has succeeded*3

*all links are serving as references and were accessed 5/19/22

photo of woman holding the scales – justice thing

(photo of guy on cell phone with steam blowing out of his ears and gritting his teeth)

I think life is so funny sometimes.

We are constantly thinking of all the things that bother us instead of figuring out ways to not let them bother us, aren’t we??

If you read my May 8th post titled “When you don’t have it, you can always find other ways to get it”, you may have noticed I was bothered by the fact I no longer owned my dogs due to a prior breakup. Instead of sitting around continuously being sad by that fact, I decided to do something about it and volunteer at a local animal shelter.  No joke about 2 weeks later, my ex contacted me about the possibility of me taking one or both dogs back. I was thinking it would be sometime in October when I would be traveling back to where they were for a concert. It actually just happened last weekend! I had to find a dog friendly apartment in one week and was able to manifest it in a day! And you know what, instead of saying the words I can’t believe it I will say that I CAN believe it because there is so much power in the words/actions we use/take on a daily basis and with all that has been happening lately, it makes perfect sense that I already have my dog back and was able to secure a place for us to live!

A really great example just happened to me yesterday while walking my pup, and this is where the title to this post comes into play.  Of course this has to do with things bothering us and either deciding to do something or not to do something about it and letting it continue to bother us.

At first, I was a bit put off by this interaction aka confrontation with my new neighbor, but after a day of thinking about the things that bothered me, I decided to do something about it and see it for what it truly was.  In fact, I’m really impressed by her taking something that had bothered her over the past few days and actually doing something about it!

Here’s the story: 

I was walking my dog in my neighborhood, and apparently it just happens to be about the same spot where she decided to take her first pee of the day multiple days in a row this week. I didn’t think much of it, we just liked taking that side road as part of our walk because it has only one house and lots of grassy areas to sniff. This particular day, the woman who lives in the house across from where my dog decided to pee comes out of her house and say, “Excuse me, this is going to sound weird but is there a reason why you let your dog pee on our grass?” I responded by saying, “I’m sorry it’s not like we’re intentionally trying to pee on your grass, we’re just walking.” Then she replies, well the last 3x your dog has done its duty and you haven’t picked it up!” To which I respond, “I mean, it’s pee, I’m not exactly sure how to pick that up?” And she responds, “Well, it ruins our grass!” And I say, “Ok, no problem ma’am, we can literally walk anywhere else if it bothers you?” And she said, “Thank You.” End of story. 

Kind of funny, kind of strange, right? Well, I was definitely put off for a few minutes of the remainder of our walk. I was like, who is this lady to accuse me of not picking up my dog’s pee?! Ha! What?! But also, it’s not like I was trying to specifically have my dog pee in her grass on purpose! And I was thinking that there are no signs indicating No Trespassing or anything and I didn’t even realize it was her land because she literally has boulders lining her house yard perimeter and this was outside of those! 

But then I decided to look at it from her perspective as well as try to dissect why I even choose to walk down her dead end road in the first place: It is because her grass is quite lovely and it’s a nice quiet side street! And then I thought about the truth to her statement of the dog pee ruining grass and I have seen that effect with my own eyes other places although my pup hadn’t peed there enough to discolor her grass….yet. So, ok, she has a right to not want her beautiful green grass to turn yellow, no big deal. But, if she didn’t come out of her house to confront, or rather communicate with, me I don’t know if I would have ever thought about my dog peeing in the same spot and potentially ruining the grass no matter who the grass did or didn’t belong to! And now I can say that something that at first felt like confrontation was really a great exercise in communication! Not that I want to go knock on her door and become best friends or anything, but at least I can see her side of the story and be a bit less annoyed while walking by that house every time I walk by with my dog. And she doesn’t have to sit inside steaming over the fact that someone is blatantly peeing on her beautiful green grass!

I encourage each and every one of you to think of a time when you felt there was a confrontation where it really bothered you and see if there is another view you can take on the subject. Hopefully it serves you as well as it served me to see from the other point of view, it really helps our psyche when we can dissect our feelings and find ways to translate them into lessons!

I used to laugh at the thought of taking care of myself….When? How? Why? Now I incorporate self-care into the core of my being. 

When? 

Every morning for starters. I love to wake up, meditate and journal first and then begin to take care of everyday things like getting ready for work, feeding and walking the dog, etc. Then I have time to sit and drink a cup of tea…all before I leave for work? Absolutely.

How? 

Well for one thing, I get up 2 hours before I have to leave for work. The old me would never have fathomed waking up at 420a but the new me (compliments of being sober and also from going to bed early) is able to do this no problem!

Why?

Because to me, starting the day in a relaxed state sets the tone for the whole rest of my day. And often things don’t bother me much. Or, if they do, I can use the tools I have practiced during my daily meditation and journaling to help myself easily work through an issue as it arises. I’ve found by changing my behavior, and subsequently my attitude, others around me seem to vibe off of that and return the favor. 

Example: I was helping someone at work who is very particular. I remember the previous week when I was in a mood of my own and this person kind of went off on me when trying to help. This time, they started to seem as if they would again but instead they changed their tune and thanked me for trying to help and explained their reasoning for being so particular! In one small change (in my attitude) I was able to create a small change in theirs! 

Sound easy? Well, it’s not. It requires some work. And I often like to use some tools outside of myself to help me get there. I found this amazing app Insight Timer where you can find a bunch of incredible and free guided meditations. My favorite person to listen to is below and truly wonderful in more ways than one, as I got to meet him through online group meditation and then once in the flesh when I lived in Washington State! 

Garett Garrido:

Garett—a certified meditation instructor, CE-5 group facilitator, student of eastern philosophy, reiki master, and spiritualist—hopes to share his passion for meditation, heart-centered mindfulness, and positive manifestation.

Go listen to Garett here! Or here!

Also, if interested in learning more about what he and his amazing wife Maria have to offer in terms of reiki, meditation, and yoga, checkout their website! 

In closing, start now. With one little change. Perhaps you’ve been wanting to do some as simple as stopping snacking before bed, going to bed earlier, meditating, writing, even wanting to clean a part of the house that has been neglected, or perhaps just begin by listening to one of Garett‘s guided meditations as all it takes from you is about 30 minutes of your time and no thinking! 

I challenge you all to choose that one small thing and carve out the time to do it this week. Over time you can add more to dos into your daily routine but for now one small thing is all it takes! Once you begin to feel the effects of the effort you put into yourself and your wellbeing, you  will start reaping the benefits of a little self-care! Selfish, never! In making yourself a better, more fulfilled and likely happier person, those around you will start to behave in rather strange and pleasantly surprising ways!

Some of you may or may not know I used to be the co-owner of San Diego’s 1st Non-Alcoholic Pop-Up Bar, mock it. 

One day my partner and I were discussing just how awful our hangovers were and that we wished there was a place to go that was as fun and lively as a bar but didn’t come with the hangover. 

We decided to start our own!

If you go here you can see my newest business endeavor as well as a short teaser video of my old business in action. 

You may have heard of the sober curious movement back in 2019ish. Believe it or not, it’s actually been a thing since 2012ish. We got in on the game in 2019 and now in 2022, there are more options every day. Non Alcoholic cocktails aka “mocktails” are gaining traction. There is so much you can do to create a healthy, local, organic drink that is also fun to share at parties. I use a tea base in many of my creations and use freshly juiced organic (as much as humanly possible) in-season fruit juices, veggies, and herbs. Don’t just poo-poo this as another Shirley Temple, although I did love those as a kid and I bet you did too!  In fact, my signature creation is called Smokin’ in Shirley’s Temple™️ and uses a smoked black tea (Lapsang Souchong) that has been smoked over pine needles, how’s that for fancy?

(photo of Smokin’ in Shirley’s Temple)

As for wonderful distilled spirits that you can sip on by themselves or use to create something extra special, I feel Seedlip really came out on top. They may be owned by InBev now, but as long as they kept the farmer’s recipe, I would have to say it’s worth it. Another great brand is Ritual, they have a Whiskey that is worth a try, it makes a whiskey and coke taste like the alcoholic version, it’s kind of nuts! And if you like gin, watch out for what Drink Monday is doing!

I also do enjoy an NA beer once in a while! Did you know that there is such a thing as non-alcoholic craft beer? And no, I’m not talking Busch NA or ODouls! Think of a nice foamy head, a citrus or slightly bitter hop feel, and body! Yes, it’s true, the beer gods are shining down upon us these days. Athletic really knows what’s up and has patented a way to remove the alcohol without losing the flavor or the body! Bravus makes some extra special barrel-aged stouts at certain times of the year but their Raspberry Gose and Oatmeal Stout top my list! For something refreshing any time of the day, I’d say go with a crisp HopTea. There are so many others but that is just a sampling.

This was our NA fridge in 2019. And just imagine there are about 10x the options these days!

(photos of fridge stocked full x2)

Most people are so hung up on getting a buzz they ask, what’s the point? But, I genuinely loved the taste of beer and hated the after-effects. Or the in situ effects. All I know is drinking made me behave a little less like myself and a lot more dangerously. And we all have had a bad hangover, so what is the point of those! You can still drink alcohol and choose to slow down with an NA bevvie before you get to the point of inevitable hangover. 

I recently decided to begin my journey back into the NA scene by Welcoming people to Life Without The Headache™️

So here’s my new logo, tell me what you think in the message us box to your right! 

(Montana Mocktails logo)

A 40th birthday adventure, a couple of car tows, and spending some time in Tennessee.

I got to see Metric in San Diego and Florence + The Machine (on my actual 40th birthday) in Seattle!

About 6 months ago, I decided to purchase tickets to some shows without actually knowing how I would make it happen but it was around my 40th and 2 of my favorite bands were playing on the West Coast. Since I lived in Montana at the time, I didn’t feel it was totally impossible…I didn’t think much of it other than I had the tickets and if it was meant to be, so be it.

I was working in Montana as a Traveling Surgical Technologist and my contract ended in mid-August. The concerts were in October. If I got another contract right away, I might be able to go after it ended. But, if I had the money to take some time off and enjoy life, I could definitely make it happen. 

I had enough money saved to be able to take an Adobe Dome building course in Northern California and if I played my cards right, maybe they were having a class around the same time! 

They were! 

But…they also were SOLD OUT. 

I had been following them for months wanting to take this course, emailing back and forth about my interest, and they knew I wanted to get on the list. Unfortunately, I must have gotten lost in the millions of emails they receive each day for the very popular building course, and, by the time I checked the site, the spots were already filled. 

As disappointing as that was, my mom and stepdad (who always have the right advice even when I don’t want to recognize it as such) asked if I had researched it enough and made the point to get on youtube and make sure I really wanted to do that course. So, in typical me fashion, I reluctantly fulfilled their advice and realized that even though I have dreams of one day living in a tiny home and wished I could build said home, it is a lot of hard labor. And, I just turned 40. Not that 40 is old by any means, but hard labor isn’t exactly something I want to start doing at this age, life is supposed to get easier the older you get. So, funny enough, the universe had bigger plans for me and they did not include learning how to build dome houses no matter how cool that would’ve been to say I knew how to do!

Fast forward to the end of my contract in August. I had grand plans of moving to a beautiful cabin on 19 acres in another part of Montana for the next 2 months to enjoy the mountains and try out a new area, I even secured said cabin. 

Unfortunately about 2 weeks before my move-in date, there were devastating fires in Wyoming and my new landlord’s friends had to move into the cabin with their horses to escape the fires! Of course, I wasn’t upset even though my plans definitely changed. 

Lucky for me, my current landlord was fine with me staying an extra month. 

I enjoyed the time in my little town exploring all the hiking trails I didn’t get to explore while working full time and met a lot of really great people I had never met the 6 months I was working there. 

I also checked out the new climbing gym in Butte, shout out to my new friends Jen and her hubby Matt, and business partners Lisa and Ryan! 

I finally went to an ecstatic dance, or rather a shamanic trance dance, something I’ve been meaning to do for, quite literally, years. What a wonderful introduction to a sacred way of healing by letting go! Lizzi Juda created an intimate space where perfect strangers were able to share openly and be free. It was so special and I’m glad I got to experience this for the first time under her direction, I will definitely be back!

When it was time to leave for my 40th birthday adventure, I took my dog and my 17-year-old car to San Diego. We stayed at a campground that I had stayed at a year prior while vanlifing (feel free to ask about that story someday, it’s a good one), Sawtooth Canyon. That spot is pretty sweet, each site has covered picnic areas to shield you from the desert sun, the vault toilets are fairly clean and it is also great for beginner climbing and bouldering. I got to San Diego and stayed at a friends’ airbnb in North County. I don’t actually care about water as much as I do mountains so I have to admit I didn’t even stop at the beach! But I had a lovely time seeing old friends and relaxing for a couple days in between my crazy adventures. 

When it was time to go to Seattle, I literally had about one day to get there and the timing was cutting it close to the show. We (I speak of my pup and I when I say we) breezed through California because we left around 330a and were sailing through Oregon when my car light came on for the battery, it was about 7pm. I slowly watched the battery juice get lower and lower…I had recently switched to a flip phone and was kind of freaking out. Luckily the flip phone is smart enough to have a hotspot and I was able to hop on the Internet on my old phone and find an auto zone that was miraculously open that late, they had one battery left in stock! As I was trying to gps my way to them, the lights in my car started fading, the engine was barely staying afloat, and my headlights went out completely, I tried to keep going because at that point I was on a dark back road with no pullout. I used my cell phone flashlight and just kept going as far as I could, the car behind me was flashing its lights at me, “duh, I know I’m literally using my cell phone flashlight to see the road, thanks!” And I was traveling up a hill when I saw the light…a gas station! I put my blinker on (that wouldn’t work) and I pulled into the lot JUST as my car decided to fully quit and my steering wheel seized completely. Long story short, I didn’t need a battery, a police officer had driven by and seen me with my hood up, the gas pump attendant tried to jump me and we realized I needed an alternator. My car insurance couldn’t find a tow truck. I just so happened to die in a small town that had a car dealer for MY CAR and the officer just so happened to know the manager and get me in first thing in the morning. I slept in my car and waited for a tow truck to be available in the morning. No joke, within 3 hours of being towed, my car was fixed and we were back on the road! We made it to Seattle, on my 40th, just in time to drop my pup off with a Rover dog sitter and just in time for the show!  

After the first car incident, we went and picked up my cargo trailer that we left in Montana for the first leg of the trip-thank goodness! We did pretty good for a couple of days, went a few nights sleeping in the car at rest areas and I was in need of a shower so I found us a state park with showers to camp at for the night. The weather had literally been perfect up until this point, but this night it decided to rain. When we woke up to leave early in the morning, the roads were damp and the way out of the state park included a few turns and hills. I was driving pretty slow with the trailer and we came up to a steep part where my car decided it couldn’t go. Literally, the tires just started spinning on the wet pavement. I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t know what to do other than attempt backing up. I guess my wheels must have been turned just slightly because when I barely started to back up, my trailer jackknifed almost going over the edge of the road! Thankfully I stopped just in time and frantically ran around the woods trying to find downed branches to stick under my tires so my car wouldn’t go over the edge!! Around that time, I was wondering how to find out who to call and the campground was a good mile back. It was also pouring rain. Again, I can’t make this stuff up, a car pulled behind me and I flagged the woman down. She happened to be the camp host going into town! She had all the numbers of who to call and long story short, I needed a tow. Back on the road we went! It took another day to get to the destination of Tennessee but we made it!

I didn’t mention the reason for going to Tennessee. My dad and stepmom, and grammy live there. I decided it was time to spend the holidays near family since I haven’t done that (kind of ever). I tried to get a job as a travel tech, but it wasn’t looking good. I decided no matter what, I was supposed to spend time with family and needed to go. About a week before my arrival, my recruiter informed me that a job had just posted. When I got to TN, they interviewed and hired me on the spot! Funny enough, it is a few days shy of me being here a month, and I’m still waiting to start said job. Good news is I got to find all the cool stuff to do around here, and it is abundant! More on that in another post….

(photo of eggs and bread)

I went to bed with socks on—new socks that were fairly inexpensive (made out of 98% polyester and 2% spandex). Socks that during the day, while being busy with life, I don’t notice much. However, when I went to bed, a crippling feeling came over my toes and was so neurologically painful I had to take my socks off.

It is with great sadness that I recognize my own ignorance in my purchases. Consuming out of convenience sometimes rather than out of compassion. 

This week I saw the same eggs I had bought while living in a Montana mountain town. The eggs that had an even brighter yolk than some local ones I had bought so of course I deducted that they were superior to the locals and instead of driving 15 minutes for the local eggs, I bought these at the store, how convenient! Eggs that are so heavily marketed, using those words I love: Organic! Free range! “Made with you and the planet in mind.” I was so enamored in the marketing that I forgot the free range of yesterday is the factory farming of today. 

I started recognizing these terms with each successive purchase with my intuition nagging at me but I ignored it for a few more months. Until this week. This week I finally took 5 minutes out of my life to do a little research on this Happy Egg Company. 

Shit.

Just last year (2021) California filed a class action lawsuit against them. And PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) filmed a pretty graphic video and wrote a telling article on this cutesy little company. 

So here I sit with my beautiful breakfast. 

(photo of beautiful breakfast outside on porch)

Here I sit dissecting every inch of this marketing. 

(photos of free range, impossibly beautiful organic yolks, etc on box of happy egg companyx2)

Here I sit with my “local” bread and “free range“ eggs from a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. The same one that fights to hide things from consumers on a daily basis. 

No shit. I actually just decided to Google them too and BIG SURPRISE they have rebranded as “Consumer  Brands Association”! 

Forgive my lack of trust as this rebranding is supposed to align with the way consumers are trending—which to me is a good thing buying more local organic non-GMO goods—but as we must remember, Monsanto is now under Bayer. It was because of consumer pressure and their learning about Monsanto that this evil company even had to go under the guise of another’s name. 

Ok enough going down the rabbit hole for today, I have to walk my poor dog soon. I’ve been working 10 hour days and was on call for 16 yesterday. It really doesn’t surprise me that people don’t have time to look this stuff up or even consider it. 

I, someone who prides herself on shopping local as much as humanly possible and eating healthy to whatever extent I can depending on where I’m living in the moment, am finding it extremely difficult to discern the products that are available to us.

Upon this realization this morning, I’ve come to the decision that I will eat the eggs because I paid for them. I am also not made of money and wasting food to me is a sin. But guess what product I’m never going to purchase again? 

Although the local store ran out of local duck eggs this week, which caused me to fall prey to the grocery store version, guess what I can do next time that happens? Eat something else for breakfast! 

I’ll end on a good note. I did recently start composting, something I’ve wanted to do for the past 20 years but never did. This was made possible due to a lovely local community farm that serves the underprivileged in the Knoxville area allowing me to dump my food waste for free! When I lived back in San Diego, this was something you actually had to pay $15 a month for so I never did.

(photos of compost buckets I madex2)

$10 compost bucket! Home Depot bucket and makeshift air inlet/trap door. Now I have a snap on lid made for fishing that works the same as my silly homemade contraption but looks nicer!

Not only do I not pay $15 a month to do some thing good for the environment, this lovely little farm gets fresh food waste to put back into their soil and they got a new volunteer out of the deal! Win-win for both parties, shout out to Beardsley Community Farm in Knoxville, thank you for being you and all that you do! 

Moral of the story: Pay attention to when your feet hurt and TAKE YOUR DAMN SOCKS OFF! Or, you know what I mean right? 

First red flag to me seeing the same eggs in Montana AND in Tennessee aka across the country: they are likely from a large corporation, probably not fresh, and they are meant to strike your neurological need for recognition and sense of safety in seeing a product you know (some kind of psychology that someone wrote an article or study on onc—but think about it—Target and CVS make you happy because you know them and feel comfortable knowing what they carry, if things fit you, etc. Brand recognition is a thing).

Here’s the challenge: Next time you unwittingly consume a product with lovely marketing claims, think about doing 5 minutes of research on it. You never know what you might find! 

(photo of lemonade)

Just a typical morning around 530a, driving to work in the darkness of the backroads near my home…I was just thinking that it had been a while since I saw a deer.

Aaaannnd to my right comes said deer! Full force speeding towards the road…

It sees my car and does an instant u-turn as I slow down and head for the other lane to avoid it. Then for whatever reason, it just as quickly u-turns again in front of my car. Pieces of my car fly off behind us, the deer does a couple of spins (still upright) and then tumbles onto the side of the road and jumps up to hop off into the darkness.

I stop my car, flashers on, turn my cell phone flashlight on to see just how much damage was done to my car, and pick up the pieces of my grill. I couldn’t believe it, no crazy sounds coming from the engine, no front-end damage other than to the grill area, and no leaking fluids. My passenger headlight was trying to jump out of the socket but luckily I had a perfect strap in my trunk that was able to make it stay on for the trip to work. 

(photos of car after deer x3)

I got out of work early that day (which never happens) and was able to drive it to the collision center to make an appointment for an insurance quote. I drive home, park it and call it a night. 

The following morning I start my car for 10 minutes because it is very cold this time of year. Once I’m out of the immediate neighborhood, something feels off. I turn down my music to hear what was happening and when I press the gas, it revs extremely loud yet gives no power to the car engine. I turn the car off and on again and have to do that a few times until I make it to the gas station on the corner. My amazing roommate answers the phone at 530am and is kind enough to get out of bed and follow me the next mile to ensure I make it to the collision center.

I want to say this: Life seems to have handed me lemons the past day. I could see this as a death sentence for my 17-year-old car which has been so wonderful to me for the past 10 months. I could feel bad for myself and become deeply negative. I don’t have money saved for a new car, or even another old one! I’m thousands of miles from my current state of residence. I just got permanent registration tags for this car and was hoping to have that last a couple more years. I just got an oil change, a new battery, new rear brakes, new spark plugs/wires and new windshield wipers. I have poured my savings into this wonderful car and up until a deer hit it, it was serving me well.

But what I see is the way in which everything happened and how much of a blessing it is. There were no cars in the opposite lane so I could take reaction time to slow and swerve safely, the deer didn’t die (in front of me at least), and I made it to work: safely AND on time! I might not have my car, but my grandmother was kind enough to let me borrow hers for the foreseeable future so I do have A car. I inadvertently got the day off to deal with said car and had the following day normally scheduled off so I got a mini weekend out of the deal. See, life isn’t so bad! 

I feel like I wanted to write this a day ago and at that time I had some magically profound statement to make; for some reason, I am blocked as to what it was. 

All I can say is: Take every moment for what it is. If you have something that might at first seem like bad luck, try to see the moments surrounding it that could have been worse and be grateful that you were spared from the worst-case scenario. An easy example most people can relate to is if you have a relationship suddenly come to an end, think of what this allows you whether it be more time, sanity, etc. Everything is a life lesson. Time to make lemonade, and share it with strangers!

(photo of rubber stamp that says compliance)

I’m kind of curious what people think when someone higher up or highly educated says, “Perhaps, but that’s only anecdotal!” 

Oxford Languages defines the word anecdotal as this: “(of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research.”

When did someone’s cluster headache being taken care of by high dosing vitamin C become anecdotal? If their cluster headache is now gone, isn’t that proof that vitamin D worked in their specific situation? 

Follow the science. What science? The science that was funded by the exact people selling the product? The science that is taught to people who are really good at taking exams that prepare them to merely memorize the gargantuan amounts of information they will be indoctrinated into over the next 4-6 years of their university life? 

Let me digress before you begin to think of me as a conspiracy theorist or a misinformation spreader. But, weren’t they right at the beginning of the plandemic? Or has mass media prevented you from seeing views that may oppose what you have been led to believe? 

I’ll keep this one short.

I just want you to be informed the way you want to be informed. 

Or perhaps hear a small bit of information that peaks your curiosity. 

Even if you don’t believe the new information being brought to you, at least you remained open. 

I attempted to offer a bit of new information to my 92 year old grandmother who wants nothing to do with it. She already has a bad taste in her mouth about Senator Ron Johnson. 

I have no taste anymore for our government other than distaste. But, I’m willing to listen to those I might not have paid attention to before the past couple of years began slowly taking away our human rights (if you don’t feel that way, wonderful! But if you do, then pay more attention! The information is out there, you just have to know where to find it). 

My mission is and has been to Learn, Share and Grow (together). 

That means being open to listening to opposing views and or people I would normally have been turned off by. 

That means having difficult conversations with people about real world problems. 

That means forming community even when you don’t think you have anything in common. 

This is the way of the future. Let’s do this, together! 

I encourage you to watch this panel of health experts led by Senator Ron Johnson that was held at the beginning of December. 

More on the title later, I have to admit that is catchy and worth making you take a look. 

I did meet the person who will be doing the rebranding of Knoxville and have to say, I’m looking forward to all the adoptable cats roaming the cat cafes and finding their FURever homes! 

So the person I met…his name is George Raudenbush. I had the pleasure of speaking with him on the phone and cannot wait to meet him in person! He runs Project Foundation for Families and helps people buy land and build tiny homes on them! The first project was featured on Channel 8 News! He also has a project to help the youth aging out of “the system”. It basically pairs youth with adoptable cats while using shipping containers to build the housing/training facility and literally incorporates all of the above interests into one, stay tuned for more info on that as well! 

Back to the real reason I wrote the post about Knoxville: I moved here to be near family not expecting to like it very much and quite the opposite is true! I have so many varied interests and to my surprise Knoxville, Tennessee does indeed oblige!

So, I finally became a resident of Montana. The mountains and abundance of Big Sky Country and miles of quiet nature to yourself….there’s really nothing like it. What does Montana have to do with Tennessee you might ask? Well, I have to admit the food scene is basically non-existent in Montana….with the exception of a few great spots. But Knoxville, yeah! Finally some decent food again! I have lived in larger places like San Diego, CA so you kind of have to be a certain caliber of food for me to be impressed. 

One day, while searching for dog-friendly restaurants, I remembered someone telling me about a place called Olibea. Not only was it super dog-friendly, but it was tasty too! Here are some photos of that beautiful Fall morning: 

(photos of olibea menu, food x4)

^ Olibea Chicken Biscuit with a side of fried cubed potatoes and their homemade hot sauce!

I decided to peruse the Fountain City area recently and, to my surprise, Taqueria La Herradura Food Truck in some random gas station parking lot is absolutely legit! Having lived next to Mexico (San Diego), the tacos have to be good for me to say something about them! Authentic street tacos and authentic street prices, all I can say is GO! I didn’t take any photos that day because I was hungry! But I got two of the pastor street tacos – so good!

Not only does Knoxville have climbing gyms and some of the best (and quite dangerous) motorcycle riding in the country, but it also has a good dose of other things I love: spiritual events, non-alcoholic beverage bars, and nature! 

The Concourse seems to be a very sweet spot to find good events and it didn’t disappoint when I went to Cirque du Samhain and Yule this past year. I love finding interesting items made by locals and both of these events had so much to offer! I wish I took photos of this one booth that had spider web art…seriously the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a while! Here are some photos from my fun at the Concourse!

(pano of concourse from Yule?)

^ The concourse is a music venue that doubles as a great spot to have local vendors

(photo)

^ Some amazing belly dancers performing at Cirque du Samhain

(photo)

^ This piece is from a 4th generation spinner and 3rd generation knitter or something like that, forgive me! But she had her own wheel where she was spinning her very own thread, so cool! I have to relearn the lingo but what a great thing to keep a tradition going and doing something that is seemingly so against the grain these days!

(photo)

^ This is my absolute favorite piece of jewelry I’ve ever bought! It was an old clock pendulum made into this by LuckyGirl Eleven

Basically right next door to the Concourse, in Northeast Knox I guess I’d call it, is the Hummingbird Apothecary, a wonderful place to drink tea and non-alcoholic cocktails (something very near and dear to my recently 2 year sober heart)! I was able to meet the owner and find out that she is opening a second location this spring, details to come but it will open up to nature and I’m stoked to check it out when it opens!

(photosx2)

^ one day I’ll have me a personal photographer and be able to avoid the light hitting signs ha!

I had the pleasure of meeting the coolest person ever when I visited Beardsley Community Farm’s Harvest Fest back in October, @jactunes. And they are an amazing musician who helped run an awesome Party for the Planet. It was held at Frog Juice’s Boochery on Sutherland Ave, another great spot to get some tasty n/a bevvies!! The drinks are delicious and the bartenders are friendly, a must visit!

(photo)

^ @jaqtunes at Party for the Planet event

(photo)

^ Allllll the flavors of kombucha! Pear Cinnamon was so good!

(photo)

^ Kombucha tasting flight

(photo)

^ Super cool local “mertails” from over the mountain in Asheville, NC

(photosx3 alt route meals)

^ At Party for the Planet, I met a wonderful local business I just have to promote quick: Alt Route Meals. Hope Westall created something for when you’re out on all your outdoor adventures and need a quick, easy, and healthy meal option! Using TN farm food (organic as much as humanly possible) and a dehydrator, these meals last up to a year and cook up just as easy as those freeze dried camping pouches! She caters to vegan and gluten-free too! It was so wonderful to see such a positive person promoting a wonderful creation, great to meet you again Hope, happy trails!

Another thing I absolutely love about Knoxville is the abundance of spiritual shops! They are unique and typically have local artists goods so are a great spot to shop local. I have quite a few I have yet to see but I will mention two. Enchanted Blessings (formerly Propagation of Creation) in Maryville and New Moon Rising in Knoxville. 

Enchanted Blessings is absolutely a gem! Rachael and Crystal are two friends who came together and created a beautiful space within a 100 year old community center behind Smoky Mountain Harley on Big Springs Road in Maryville. They do reiki, card reading, sound healing and have all kinds of events all the time! While I was there a few months back, some kids came in asking to see if the building (The Community Center) had a food pantry and since this tends to happen often enough, the Rachael started collecting canned goods and was able to give the kids a whole boxful right on the spot. When people talk a good talk, they often don’t walk the walk. I would bet my life that these people never even attempt to talk the talk and that is because they are genuine human beings who live the walk. They are just the best and I cannot say enough good things about them.

(photo)

^ February classes at Enchanted Blessings

(photo)

^ Crystal and Rachael

(photo)

^ Tarot reading room

(photo)

^ reiki/massage room

(photo)

^ sample of the local handcrafted goods at Enchanted Blessings

I visited New Moon Rising a couple weeks ago and talked to Lee for what seemed like hours, great times! She supports women-crafted goods and is very passionate about her work. They have sound healings on the 1st or 3rd Saturdays I think, forgive me, Instagram and Facebook rule the world but I don’t do social media anymore so I can’t always find information like the kids do these days! Anyways, check it out: (photos x4)

Next up: drumroll please! NATURE. My literal favorite thing in the entire world. 

I came here to Knoxville from Montana, so you have to impress me….and Maryville College Woods is by far my favorite piece of nature close by to where I live. So is Fort Loudon State Park. 

I have been so busy working that I haven’t made it to the actual mountains yet, but I’m probably going to need an entire post dedicated to that area anyways. Maryville College campus is absolutely fantastic. They really seem to have worked with nature as best they could and I am so grateful to this amazing 140 acre public space, see the beauty below: 

(photos x4 my watermarked ones)

^ All at Maryville College Woods

And now onto Fort Loudon State Park:

(photos x11)

And last but not least: Tennessee Sunsets…wow! I’ve lived in San Diego and I must say, you rival San Diego, absolutely gorgeous! 

(photos x3)

Well, I doubt this website can handle any more photos so I’m going to end this one here. Thanks for reading all about my Knoxville adventures, don’t forget to sign up as a member to be on our email list, access private pages and be in the know!

So…it’s about time I had this talk with myself (and you). I can no longer participate in the evils which are helping take away our privacy. 

The two biggest (outside of social media in general) companies that have a huge stake in our lives are Google and Amazon.

About 2 weeks ago, I decided that since Amazon has decided to do away with smile.Amazon.com, which was my excuse for using it (see blog post here), I will no longer shop there. And I really feel that a part of me died a little because I have tried to buy locally and even been directed to Amazon because the local store couldn’t compete price-wise. But even more importantly, they couldn’t get said product in their hands…STOP HERE. 

Read that again. 

Amazon has a monopoly on products. People or companies don’t even keep stock of their own products anymore because Amazon has them all! Well, maybe Amazon, Walmart, whatever warehouse they all use to own alll the things…ok enough about my aside. Just think about that for a second. 

Ok so for the past two weeks I have not purchased anything on Amazon which is a damn miracle and really not like me but I said if they aren’t donating to good causes anymore with my purchase, I no longer have an excuse to buy from a company that has a monopoly over our lives. No more excuses. 

Today I took the extra step of actually deleting my Amazon account. I quite literally (finally) put my money where my mouth is. 

Here are the screenshots to prove it…I have to admit it felt really hard to do this! 

(photos x4)

I’m also happy to report that I’ve been Facebook-free for over 1 year (June 21st will make my 2 year anniversary)! 

How can I do these things?! 

I also tried a flip phone for about 3 months to ditch the smartphone but when it impacted me getting paid from my job, I went back to a smartphone… I’m super glad I went to an older version of one though because it was  just reported about IPhones being compromised and doing an update asap. That didn’t include mine because I’m trying to live as far back as the technology will allow. But have you noticed how we don’t have a choice anymore but to constantly upgrade our devices? What’s up with that?

I’ve been using Duck Duck Go this past year as my search engine due to privacy concerns but the other day I random noticed that I was using Google. I thought to myself, no, I’m on Duck Duck Go! And I went into my phone settings and my default browser had been set to Google. I did not make this change! Do yourself a favor and see if your default browser has changed from what you had it set to! Now I am trying Brave, a new privacy browser that is supposed to be faster than Google Chrome and has no ads. I make changes as often as I can but sometimes they take longer than others, and I’m ok with that.

According to the biggest “Misinformation Spreader” or teller of truth and someone who actually cares about people’s health, Dr. Joseph Mercola, [Get rid of] “Google Home devices, as they record everything that occurs in your home or office, both speech and sounds such as brushing your teeth and boiling water, even when they appear to be inactive, and send that information back to Google. Android phones are also always listening and recording, as are Google’s home thermostat Nest, and Amazon’s Alexa.”

Today’s post is here to ask you a couple of questions: 

•What are those “things” in your life that you may feel connected to, but you could actually do without? And even if you think you couldn’t do without them, what if they were contributing to the technological imprisonment of society, would you at least give it a try by taking a break? 

•What are the companies you use that you know are doing “bad” things but you let them get away with it out of convenience? It’s time to step up your game and hold them accountable by making their accounting department take a second look at why revenues aren’t as high due to us being more intentional about our spending habits and deciding to support those companies who are transparent and not just with fancy marketing terms. 

Take the step today and support a local artisan instead. Not only do you get a more unique item, but you help contribute to the financial wellbeing of your direct community or at least someone who is a real hardworking person, not a huge corporation who buys our government officials voting patterns. 

Do you think I’m nuts yet? 

I’d say I’m actually taking small concrete steps in my life, albeit a long slow road, that are contributing to my future as an independent and free human being. 

If we don’t all start doing this now, I am truly worried for the future of our human rights (Did the reversal of a 50 year precedent mean nothing to you? Even if you are against abortion rights, you have to see the Roe v Wade precedent being reversed as a scary thing….if not, you have to start thinking harder….if they can take one right away, there will be more to come…)

I’m still working on ditching Google but my only reason is because I have a side gig that uses Google docs for work and I have to have it. For now. But I have mentioned to the company that I feel we may want to look into alternative sources. 

It’s time to pay attention. Big things are happening behind the scenes and it isn’t awesome. 

This isn’t meant to scare you, more to help you decide to take action by making one small change in your habits. 

Do it today, do it in a week, but do it, your future self will thank you 😉

UPDATE 1/7/26: We are back on facebook and amazon, for the past year…also haven’t ditched the gmail email but rarely use it…for certain reasons…it was a fun experiment and it is also fun to experience all the feels about all the things and decide what works best for us in what moments in time, we could change again but for now we are using resources available until the new systems are built and perfected.

I only realized it was Friday the 13th when I was dating my journal entry this morning. I never cared for superstitions. I mean whatever floats people’s boats, but the 14th floor is still the physical 13th floor people! I digress…

I have been going through a spiritual journey over the past few years and have found my own journey to be changing and becoming more and more aligned with the traditional Christian beliefs. 

I still feel The Bible is a book just as anything is and can be changed (added to/deleted from) depending on the “scholars” who make those kinds of decisions. But I also find the Bible to be one of the most respected books and an integral foundation for many generations and especially of this country’s founding. 

Recently, I have found enjoyment over randomly opening it and seeing what it’s all about. I definitely feel a deeper calling from God – I know it’s always been there in some way; now I am more open to exploring my religious roots.

The past few years I have been healing old wounds, rediscovering my truth and being more open to THE TRUTH. I had a feeling I must buy Intruthwestand.com for 10 years. Typically I have website ideas and just do a year or two but 10, 10 is a commitment. Funny how there are 10 commandments. There is a lot of overlap in what has been happening in my life. 

I went to a local cave a friend told me about and with no headlight and my dog, I entered and went to the farthest spot I could see and stayed there for some undefined amount of time. I came to see if I could hear the voices she has heard while there. I felt the urge to sing to the “spirits of the cave” and what came to me was: “If I give you my voice, will you give me the truth?” I sang that over and over and over and over in that dark cave. I felt satisfied and then my dog ran off pulling me out of the cave. I wanted to go back to the car but she insisted we go to the left instead. We walked a little ways and then I saw it. We walked closer to a giant stone sitting alongside the path. It had a bunch of sentences carved into it. When I got close enough to make the words out, I realized it was the 10 commandments. Yeah, those 10 commandments. The ones I have been ignoring the past 40 years. The truth. 

And here I sit telling internet strangers one of the most profound spiritual moments of my entire life. You’re welcome, ha! But you need to hear it as much as I do. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. I asked Jesus how much do you love me and he said this much and stretched out his arms and died. I have no idea where in the Bible any of that is, only that it has stuck with me and made me weep. 

There are universal truths that come to us when we sit alone and seek understanding. I firmly believe they come from the Creator of all things. Whether you call that God(dess), Spirit, Source, The One, Divine Friend, etc. I think we can all agree we are connected and it is through this Divine Source that we were put here to do work. What that work is, I have no idea yet. But I know it is to speak the truth, do good unto others, and heal this place.

We are in a very horrible time in history. It is up to us to bring it back. Good will always win over evil, but it takes us to unblind ourselves, stop succumbing to what is convenient, doing the hard work, and living the truth. Intruthwestand.com is my way of finally taking the step towards my truth, THE TRUTH. We are all connected to it whether we like it or not. Every choice we make will directly affect everything, everyone, everywhere, every time. 

Choose wisely.

Lately, a lot of people I know of but don’t know have been going through spiritual journeys that have led them back to the Lord:

 I used to love Hulk Hogan (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SydVEJ8apGliqKX1W2SWS) and he most recently did an episode on The Joe Rogan Podcast speaking his truth. 

I read the book The Lightworker’s Way by Doreen Virtue (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/march/doreen-virtue-left-new-age-behind-old-testament.html) a few years back and it was the first time I heard the word God and didn’t cringe. She has since denounced all her past “new age” works and come to the lord herself but I believe it was her who helped me be open to this way again. 

And now, Kat Von D (https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/march/doreen-virtue-left-new-age-behind-old-testament.html) some tattoo artist has stopped her witchy ways and gotten baptized. There is a wave of truth seekers taking the step back to the truth and we will turn the tides, won’t you join us?

Well, now that I know it was signed September 17, 1787 this makes sense! How did I go 40 years without caring? Thank you to the past 4 crazy years for waking me up to what is truly important for my brain to learn! 

236 years ago, our founding fathers came together to secure our unalienable, God-given rights. 

We have since forgotten just how important that event was/is. And, how important it is we understand how those rights are being eroded with each forgotten memory of that important moment in history.

A little background story on my why for this website: 

Why are we sick and tired of being sick and tired?

Why, instead, don’t we ask ourselves what is making us sick and tired? And what, if anything, can we do about it?

l am sick and tired of working a “good” job and still struggling to make ends meet. 

• I don’t even have a car payment

• I don’t even have credit card debt

• I do; however, have student loan debt

—>>I don’t own land or a house (unfortunately) but technically neither does anyone. Unless they have the alloidial title to it. 

Look up what that means Here. (https://definitions.uslegal.com/a/allodial-title/)

In layman‘s terms, alloidial is superior to deed. Deed is what was given to us when the government took our right to full ownership away. 

Nonsense! I own my land! 

Not if you pay property taxes you don’t. 

Let that one simmer and dig deeper if your interest is peaked.

—>>I’ve noticed most people hear unbelievable things and just ignore it moments later. 

I even did this the other day when I realized it was 9/11. I had big plans in my head to talk to people at work about the fact I had only recently seen the whole story on Boatlift 9/11. If you haven’t heard of it, go see the reporting on it here! (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MDOrzF7B2Kg&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email)

We are broken humans. 

We have become so distressed and overwhelmed and apathetic to it all. 

We continue to let “them” take our rights away with each thing we ignore. 

This is why I started this website. 

I will no longer feel overwhelmed and let “them“ continue to take away my rights or the rights of my fellow Americans. (Not US Citizens, Americans. Citizen is just another thing to go down the rabbit hole for, we’ll save that for later – I’m barely scratching that surface myself.)

Our Constitution was put in place as the cornerstone of our Republic, yes, Republic, not democracy. Let us not forget this. Let us reawaken and learn our rights that cannot be taken away (because the Constitution – and Bible – tells us so)! 

My intention for Intruthwestand.com is to be that person who fills in the gaps or makes you want to. 

Educate, Empower, Act. 

I’m ready to dive in, won’t you join me?

This morning I sit in the DMV building next to a few others so that I can change my address on my license. 

Although I could easily do it online from the comforts of my home and within minutes, I inconveniently sit in this brightly lit sad office awaiting my turn. 

If I were to do it from home, I am given no choice as to whether or not I can get a state issued id. The convenient choice takes away my choice and puts me in the real ID category (aka federal id) whether I want it or not. 

I am a fairly introverted person but when it comes to talking to others I feel a real responsibility lately to allow people informed consent. We live in this (slowly eroding) great country and we have rights (for now)! 

I actually decided to speak out loud in the DMV waiting room and asked the 6 people there who was there to get a real ID. 4 raised their hands proudly. I asked what made them decide to get a real id and they responded, ”because we have to, to fly!” As my heart about pounded out of my chest, I responded to them that although I fully believe in their choices to make whatever decisions they want to make, that is false and a lie we’ve been told. I directed them to my website if they were interested in learning more. I just posted this morning some helpful information, check it out on our homepage! 

One of the 4 people went up to the information board in the front of the room and noticed that it even tells you there that the TSA accepts other forms of ID. I think she still got a real id, but at least now she might start talking in her circles about this false reality. We can only hope!