Happy Friday blogworld! I don't know about all of you, but this week as been long and I am so glad it's almost the weekend! My dad sent me this verse a couple weeks ago when I really needed it. It's amazing how in the midst of craziness, sadness, confusion or sorrow, we can find our hope in God and He always gives me peace. My hope for you is that this verse gives you the hope you need today or in the future. Enjoy your weekend loves. 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5

Sunday afternoon, my two gorgeous MOH's and my mom's best friend hosted for me the most beautiful shower I could have ever dreamed of. It was complete with custom napkins, lots of mimosas and amazing, handmade quiches, frittatas and cakes. I had the best day catching up with old friends, taking 100000 pictures and opening lots of fun and thoughtful gifts. I had friends from every stage of my life at this shower and those who couldn't make it sent gifts, their love and sweet notes. This shower made me so excited for the wedding day.  I can't imagine the feelings I will have when I walk into our reception surrounded by all of our friends and family. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful woman in my life. I'm so thankful to Coti and Whit for the shower and to everyone who came out to help Adam and I celebrate.

All of you in blogland are in for such a great treat today and I am so excited about this post! I've been wanting to do a "guest post" for a long time now and I think this is the perfect post to start with. A little bit about Britt before you get to her perfectly timed-blog. Britt and I met in our first year of law school. Turns out we were both Kappas in college, however that is only one of the many things we have in common. She is hilarious, sarcastic, the best listener and did I mention gorgeous? I'm lucky to have her as my best, bridesmaid and now guest blogger. I hate to keep you waiting, so without further ado, Britt's post: 
It is no secret that my general demographic is obsessed with #fall and all related products and experiences. I don’t hate fall by any means. However, I have some serious concerns about this fall obsession and feel that my peers have been overlooking the following issues:

1. Pumpkin Spice Lattes: The #PSL is basically barf in a cup. As someone who lovingly awaits the “Christmas” cup at Starbucks each year, I can appreciate a hot cup of coffee or latte now and again. But everyone knows that the only reason anyone orders a #PSL is to post a pensive picture to Instagram. 
2. Fall candles: Fall candles are such a mixed bag for me. I love how the perfect cinnamon/vanilla candles make my house smell, but 9/10 times, instead, I buy a disgusting sugary candle by accident and then it sits under my sink until I throw it away during Spring Cleaning. 
3. Allergies: Ahhhh allergies. In Nebraska, and never being more than 2 miles away from a cornfield, allergies are abundant. So in addition to me not feeling great without constant Zyrtec, everyone around me is constantly sneezing and not covering their mouth. Cute. 
4. Carving Pumpkins: This is the “best in theory, worst in practice” fall-related activity. Sure, it’s fun going to a pumpkin patch and finding the perfect $10 gourd. But carving it? Yuck. The knives are never sharp enough, actually carving is just not fun, and then you have a huge mess. Also, I never have the proper candle to light it up so I usually end up using a citronella candle leftover from summer which is sad. 
5. Weather/Boots/Scarves Dilemma: Nothing is as great as pulling out your favorite #boots and #scarves post-summer… Except when it is still 80 degrees and almost November. Is it so much to ask to have some clear, crisp, 58 degree days before the temperature plummets and the snow ruins my boots?
6. Halloween Costumes: Don’t even get me started on professional adults dressing up in slutty/stupid costumes. 
7. WINTER: Probably the most overlooked aspect of fall is that it is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from WINTER. The most dreaded months almost everywhere, but especially the Midwest. Goodbye sun and happiness, hello freezing temperatures, bad drivers, and ice.

Day 21; My dream vacation.

I've been lucky enough to visit some pretty amazing places, Greece, Italy, Paris...but the once place I cannot wait to visit is Australia. Just take a look at these phenomenal pictures. Where do you dream of going?

Day 20: My biggest fear. 

Soup Sunday! Adam and I made this soup a while ago and I found it again and with only a few changes was able to make it paleo! Sticking with our themes for spicy soups, this one did not disappoint. I promise I'll make a non-spicy soup soon! I'm sorry I only have a finished product pic, but it's pretty basic, 6 items, one crockpot. Next time, more pics, I promise. But in the meantime, Buffalo Chicken Soup.

Ingredients: 

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 48 ounces low-sodium broth
• 2/3-1 cup buffalo wing sauce (depending on how spicy you like it!) We found a good paleo version of wing sauce at Whole Foods. 
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• green onions
• 1 avocado, sliced

How to Make: 

1. Place chicken, celery, onion, garlic, broth and wing sauce in the crockpot. 
2. Cook on low for 6 hours. 
3. Remove chicken from crockpot and shred chicken. 
4. Create a slurry by whisking cornstarch and milk together. (not as good as if using cream, but still worked) 
5. Add the mixture to the crockpot, turn it to high and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until soup is slightly thickened. 
6. Dish soup into bowls and serve with avocado and green onions (cheese if non-paleo!) 
7. Enjoy! 

Day 19: What makes me happy.

1. The Broncos.
2. My steaming cup of coffee in the morning.
3. Friday date nights with Adam
4. Laying in bed with the fireplace on.
5. Denver.
6. This verse, 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's power may rest on me."
7. Red wine, white wine, champagne, I don't discriminate.
8. Cooking.
9. Planning our wedding.
10. Finding new songs.
11. Pure Barre.
12. Texting.
13. Real Simple, the magazine.
14. My kindle
15. My DVR.
16. Painting my nails
17. My sister, Erin. (you can read more about her, here.)
18. Blogging.
19. These people, I'm the luckiest and happiest lady in the world because of them.

Last weekend, Adam and I ventured into Cherry Creek North for a late breakfast, early lunch. Cherry Creek North is the cutest little area, filled with lots of shops, restaurants, bars and so much more. It's a great area to grab a coffee and wander. We decided to eat at Harmon's Eat & Drink and we were not disappointed. We both started with a wedge salad. I don't know what it is, but Adam and I love wedge salads. Judge us all you want, but really, whats better than lettuce, bacon and blue cheese? I got the pork belly and Adam got the short rib tacos! Oh man, I can't tell you which was better, but they were both so delicious. We also got spicy bloody mary's that were to die for. I drank my too fast that I forgot to take a picture, whoops :)

Day 17: I'm an expert at....

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 carrots, grated (i used a food processor to make them super small) 
• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated (again, use a food processor!) 
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to make: 

1. Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. 
2. Add carrot, apple, coconut and raisins and combine well. 
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and vanilla extract together. 
4. Pour this mixture over your dry mixture and mix well (warning, it will be thick!) 
5. Let the mixture sit for about 30-60 minutes 
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin pan
7. Spoon out your mixture into the muffin pan and place in the middle of the oven. 
8. Cook for 25 minutes and then start to watch them. For bigger muffins you'll need more time, and for smaller, less time. Check if they're done with a toothpick, no stick & they're done! 
9. Enjoy! 

Weekends are so much more fun when you work during the week. Pre-job, weekends were fine. I mean, I got to hang out with Adam more, but other than that my daily life didn't change much. Working Kristen makes weekends that much more fun! Adam and I have been taking advantage of our weekends and spending a good portion of them in the mountains. Before we headed up the mountain, we stopped at Red Mango for some fro-yo. Pumpkin swirled with vanilla, yes please! Saturday afternoon we ventured up to Grand Lake, Colorado. Adam's best friend was up there with his girlfriend and what a perfect excuse to escape for the night. We cooked a delicious (paleo!) dinner, drank copious amounts of wine and took a million pictures. Sunday morning we got caught in a snowstorm on our drive back, which just topped off a perfect weekend. I hope you all had fabulous weekends too!

On Sunday, Adam and I were doing our weekly grocery shopping trip and he asked me to make some desserts for the week. I found this recipe online and am so glad I did. They were super easy to make and probably one of my favorite desserts yet!

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water = 1 flax egg
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegan (or dark) chocolate chips

How to make: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flax egg, coconut sugar, almond butter, vanilla, espresso powder and salt. 
4. Stir in the coconut flour and baking powder until a dough forms. 
5. Fold in the chocolate chips
6. Roll the dough into balls. Place on the baking sheet and flatten slightly. 
7. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. 
8. Bake the cookies for 7-8 minutes (I did about 11, altitude?) 
9. Enjoy! 

Day 13: Favorite Fall Recipe

Today's prompt is perfect for me because (1) I made a delicious soup last night and (2) I love everything fall! I didn't grow up where fall exists, and I have to be honest, living in a city with full-fledged fall is incredible. Watching TV with a fire on, feeling the crisp cool air on my morning walk with Henry and crunching leaves beneath my boots is just the best. And, don't even get me started on the purple, orange, yellow and red leaves that grace all of our streets. Man, I could go on and on about fall, but after much ado, the recipe for Gumbo. I got this recipe from my new favorite book, Paleo Comfort Foods and we modified it a bit to our liking. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped (I used dried again!) 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart can tomatoes (I used on of those big cans of diced tomatoes, and one small one because it looked like it needed more juice) 
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound shrimp (I used frozen from the grocery store) 
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• Cajun seasoning
• 2 bay leaves

How to make: 

1. Get a crockpot, turn it on high. 
2. Throw in the onions, celery, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves shrimp and sausage. 
3. Season with cajun seasoning. This was our addition. Season to your liking. (We use about 2 tablespoons. Let it cook for a couple hours and then tasted and added some more)
4. Put the lid on and let it sit. We cooked it for 3 hours on low, and then turned in up to high for the last hour. 

Always work harder than everyone else. -My dad

Sometimes like throws you the ultimate curveball. Sometimes those curveballs produce amazing end results and sometimes they leave you hanging, and sometimes you just have to figure it all out on your own. Figuring out God's plan for my life has left me in somewhat of a tizzy. I know what I want. I know what I think I need. But the thing is, I need to stop with what I want and figure out what God wants. Letting Him talk control is tough, but I know His plan is so much bigger than I can even image.So I'm going to trust life and trust God.

Ever since I can remember my dad has always sent me the perfect words of inspiration at the perfect time. I have a folder on my computer where I save them and every now and then I go back and read them. It's amazing how something can be right at so many different times in my life. My dad sent me this back in October 2012. And, here we are, October 2014, and it's so fitting again. I find comfort in my family, Adam (& my new future family), my friends and in God and that's all I need. So here's to letting go and letting God.

October 3, 2012

Thought for the Day     The Holy Spirit comes to us in the brokenness of our health, in the shipwreck of our family lives, in the loss of all possible peace of mind, even in the very thick of our sins. He saves us in our disasters, not from them.  In the most trying of times He points us to Jesus in whom we find peace for the moment and hope for tomorrow and assurance of eternity (Robert Farrar Capon, adapted)

God's Living Word   My grace is enough; it's all you need.  My strength comes into its own in your weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9, The Message) Today's Reading: Matthew 8-11    Really Busy: Matthew 8:1-9:8

In those moments when we think that nothing is going right and we are in trouble and there seems to be no way out,  someone noted, "Rather than saying 'God, here is my problem,' we should put the problem into perspective by saying 'Problem, here is my God!'"  Great insight! In good times and hard times the key to peace and contentment is our perspective and how we choose to handle our particular situation.   No matter what we are experiencing or how bad things might be, God is bigger than anything we are facing and can always give us the peace of mind to know that He will lead us through and make us stronger and better for the experience.  Always remember, that God knows you.  And he is near you!  How far is the shepherd from the sheep (John 10:14)?  The branch from the vine (John 15:5)?  That's how far God is from you. He is near.  See how these four words look taped to your bathroom mirror:  "God is for me" (Psalm 56:9, NKJV) (Adapted from Care for the Common Life, Max Lucado)   I pray that each of us will step back long enough to hear those words of assurance and comfort and that we might boldly say, "Problem, here is my God"!  Have a great and glorious day with Jesus.   God's richest blessings on your day and Be There!

Keep a daily diary of your dreams, goals and accomplishments, if you're life is worth living, it's worth recording

"Oh hey, Kristen Kavan! I hope you know that sounds as good now, as it did May 9, 2015. How is it possible that it's 2024?! Geeze, what's it like there? Are your cars flying yet, because people have been saying they would be already. It's hard to believe you've been married for 9+ years. Hows that going? I hope you're still blissfully in love with a multitude of beautiful kids. 

I hope you're still doing what you wanted to do when you were a wide-eyed lawyer fresh out of law school. I hope you're taking risks and still not afraid to say what's on your heart. I hope you're a professional blogger, writing blogs you love, maybe with a little Food Network sponsor mixed in there. I hope, regardless of what you're doing, that you're doing what you love. I hope you finally learned Spanish like you've always wanted. I hope you don't regret a thing, instead I hope you look back at those life lessons and smile and then maybe teach them as lessons to your kids. I hope you love yourself and who you've become. I hope Henry is still alive. I hope you're not afraid. I hope you're hopeful and still ambitious and still curious.

I hope you're happy. I hope you're not jaded. I hope you still believe in good, and I hope you're doing good. I hope you've held your friends close, and your family even closer. How are Isabel and Tomás? They're 12 and 10?? Is that real? I hope your life is all you dreamed it to be. Don't be afraid to keep dreaming bigger, loving more, hugging tighter and working harder. Make sure you're not missing out. Seize the day. What do you care about? Who do you care about? Pursue that. Forget the rest. Keep fighting for those who can't. Keep your head up. Help others. Keep going. Be kind always. Keep praying and praying hard and keep God first."  

"All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know."

If you can't tell by now, Adam and I love spicy food. Oh, and we love fall and the fact that it's completely acceptable to make soup at least once a week. This soup was the perfect blend of spiciness, flavor and it was so hearty. It's also from my new favorite paleo cookbook, Paleo Comfort Foods, and people... STOP everything and go get this book. It's amazing, my new favorite book. Okay, without further ado, the recipe.

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 poblano peppers, chopped (our store didn't have them, so I used serrano)
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green or red bell peppers, chopped (I used the dried bell peppers again)
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
2 teaspoons chili powder (leave this out if you don't love spice)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 28-ounce can tomatillos, drained and chopped. I used fresh tomatillos, so if you prefer, use about 1 pound and half. (Take the husk off and dice)
2 pounds cooked chicken, shredded (I used one pack of chicken from costco)
4 cups chicken broth (I ended up using about 5 cups, I eyeballed it and thought it needed more liquid)
1 Avocado (we used it as a garnish, yumm)

How to make: 
Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pot.
Add ingredients up to the garlic and sauté until onions are translucent (about 3 minutes) (
Add next ingredients up to tomatillos (the spices)
Add tomatillos, chicken and broth.
Bring to a simmer and let cook for an hour or two. I covered the pot for the first hour and then took it off for the last 45 minutes.