Kristen's Nature Blog

When I was a child, "tornado" was a word that built excitement. Rainy days and dark clouds beckoned my mom, my sister, and me to the garage where we would camp out for hours. We would sit on the trunk of the car and watch the rain pelt the tree in our front yard. We would inhale the fresh scent of wet, muddy grass. Some days, the streets would be so hot that when the rain fell it caused steam to rise from the cement. Those were the best days to go for a barefoot walk around the neighborhood. They're some of my favorite memories. I love heat, and I love thunderstorms and tornado warnings. When the clouds took of peculiar forms, sometimes we would walk towards them aimlessly. Somewhere in us we hoped for something to form just to see the raw beauty of tornado weather. Then, on nights when it rained, we all slept well, put to sleep by the soothing hush. My mom sometimes told us to get in the car after a nice, long storm. We would drive around just to enjoy driv...

Am I training for a 5K? No, I'm not. I'm just trying to lose weight and gain some toned legs. Perhaps 3.1 miles doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds when you run that distance every day as I'm doing. I've never been in track or cross country. I've actually never been a big athlete, because I've always struggled too much with being "big." But honestly, I do love to run. I actually enjoy cardio far more than lifting weights. I know that's crazy to a lot of people, but it's what suits me. Last summer, I ran a 5k every day and I lost 50 pounds. I hope to do the same again this summer in order to meet my goal of 100 pounds lost. It is hard, though. Being my weight, I'm a slow runner. I see thin people who can run farther and faster than me, but I also know thin people who can't keep a consistent run for longer than a mile. So, I take pride in my ability to push myself this far. There have been times that people have laughed...

As an extension to my weightless weather post, I want to review the Atkins brand. For a few weeks now, I have been testing Atkins' protein bars and even dabbed into some of their chocolates to fight cravings. Here is what I've learned. Since beginning the Atkins diet, I have learned the key to what makes Atkins doable. Now, Atkins is a popular dieting option because it is often high in protein and low on sugar. For example, by Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar has 16 grams of protein per bar, 1 gram of sugar, and 3 grams of Net Carbs. It also has high dietary fiber and potassium, but even more saturated fats and sodium. Nonetheless, each bar is jam-packed as many vitamins as you'll find in vita-gummies. But what is it about Atkins that really works? Yes, the bars are super healthy, but they also have a strange side-effect that I became aware of after a few weeks. I'm not expert, so I'm not sure what it is, but if I dare each a whole Atkins' prote...

We live in a society where names get pulled out of anything and anywhere. I've heard of people getting made fun of for having names taken from nature, but then we also as a society make fun of people with names like Shannon (because of how shockingly stereotypical these soccer moms apparently are). I've known people named River and Brook and Cloud who are assumed to be hippies because of their names, in the same way that Shannon is assumed to have a short hair-cut and a mini van. As the population rises, people look for more and more ways to feel unique. They want their children to be unique from other kids. And they don't want to have forty Madison's in one classroom. Personally, I enjoy unique names. Sometimes, sure, parents can get out of hand with names, but the children themselves cannot control what their names turn out to be. While these kids might wish they had a more normal name, I wish mine was more unique. My first name is very common, and my last n...

My best moments are often outdoors when it's warm. I love going on walks and running and taking the dog out. I love when my boyfriend will join me on a walk and whether or not we talk doesn't matter, because we're both utterly happy just to be. I spent most of my time in Colorado outdoors. My brother took me into the mountains and we hiked, even after it began to downpour. We were in love with the environment and the movement, so the rain didn't dowse our joy one bit. I spent a lot of time outdoors in Florida. My sister-in-law took me to St. Augustine, and I fell in love with the ocean for the first time. It wasn't my first time seeing it, but it was my first time appreciating its beauty and power and gentleness. The waves were strong but the water lapping at the sand was soothing and mesmerizing to watch. I never wanted to leave and I always want to go back. I spent all of my time in Guatemala outside. Our homestay had a wide, open patio directly in the c...

 As the weather gets warmer, I seem to get my act together. Maybe it's because school is slowing down, and maybe it's because I left seasonal depression in the departed snow. Either way,  things are going well again. Last summer is when I made my greatest effort to lose weight. I lost 47 pounds between April and August, and I'd never felt so good about myself. How did I do it? I ran three miles every single day. I began paying attention to portion sizes and just focused on taking care of me. However, when school started up again in August, I gained 30 pounds back. It really bummed me out and I just kept telling myself, hoping that it would be true, that when it got warm again I would get back into my health kick. You see, over the school year, I would have class from 9 am to 3 pm, and then I would often work from 5pm to 10 pm. I went through my day starving myself or snacking unhealthily on candies to fill me up, and then I would finally get to have dinner after I...