The First Day
So here we are... on Day 31! I feel like all day I've had a soundtrack in my head playing, 'this is the first day of the rest of your life...' and in some ways it is so true! Today is my starting point, my launch site, my first day of forever. And, surprisingly, instead of being scared, I'm thrilled! 

The Last Melon
Well folks.... it's finally here! Day 30 has arrived and we're about to cross over to the other side! In some ways, as I've expressed over the past few days, I feel like the scared dodo in Ice Age, drilling myself to prepare for disaster. Survival skills, food storage and training translate into strategic planning, reciting lists of bad ingredients in my head, and fear of the unknown. As this day slips by and it becomes tomorrow I'm finding myself staring at it screaming 'the last melon!!'.

Swimming in the Deep End
I'm not going to lie - I'm beginning to find myself strangely freaked out about going off the Whole30! As my 3-year-old says while clinging to my hand in a dark room, "I'm just a wittle scared...." This experience has taught me so much that in fact, I'm nervous to be out on my own - part of me would much rather stay in the kiddie pool! 

A New Perspective
Autumn leaves, crisp fall air, and the delicious smells of cinnamon and spices. I love nothing more than plunging into the fall goodness feet first and this weekend that's exactly what we did! A picnic at Gettysburg enjoying all the foliage, a pumpkin painting party, and pumpkin carving - check out my man's masterpiece! - so many fun things to do with our girlie! But as we were enjoying all the fun, I suddenly began to realize that I would have normally been adding homemade cookies, pumpkin pie and sugar-filled steamy drinks to make it 'feel fall-ish'. These things are fun, of course, but now that I can see things through a more holistic view, they really are unnecessary. We had an amazing weekend and did all kinds of fun things - and the best part was, none of it was about the food. 

Daily Bread
Thursday was a day that in my pre-Whole30 lifestyle, I would have severely dreaded and hated every minute of, wishing it away faster than it would go. My husband and I fasted on Thursday and it always used to be something that left me with a perpetual headache, feeling grouchy and disoriented all day long. We both revved up for a tough day hoping it wouldn't be too terrible, and went our separate ways. At dinner we were talking about it and realized that it had been surprisingly easy! No headaches, no sickness or nausea, and neither of us had felt half-asleep or disoriented all day! It was a huge success and had been nearly effortless. Fasting is not for everyone and we only observe it when we are seeking the Lord in serious prayer, but I would definitely give a shout-out to say if you have experienced the same problems I have in the past, try doing it for a day while on the Whole30. It was a really positive experience and I'm so glad we did it!

Miracle or Mayo? 
So I know I say this a lot, but I have made an AMAZING DISCOVERY! This entire month has been one huge realization after the next and I'm loving it! One of the Whole30 program perks is that you receive daily emails with suggestions, FQ&A, helpful links, recipes, and so much more to help keep you focused and motivated while completing your Whole30. I have not wanted to share most of the secrets I've found there, as it's all part of this amazing program, but this one I can't keep a minute longer! Homemade Mayo. Yes, I said it - I really did! Mayo you can eat on Whole30 and is so creamy and delicious I will never buy store Mayo again! 

Off To Market
So as I mentioned last week, I was pleasantly AMAZED with my finds at the Farmer's Market! I was so impressed that today I dragged my whole family back so load up another huge bag of produce to bring home and freeze. Now that I had a better idea of what was offered, I planned strategically to coordinate my farmer's market trip with my grocery shopping for the next couple weeks. 

A Weekend Away
Due to the nature of my job, my husband, 3-year-old and I often find ourselves away from home for the weekend eating dining hall food and sleeping in hotel rooms. This never presented a problem until we went Gluten, Sugar, Dairy and Everything-Processed Free! This weekend we were away from home for Saturday Dinner, Sunday all day, and Monday Breakfast, and although I proposed a 3-day fast, neither of us were buying it. So I had to do a little extra prep work to keep us Whole30 friendly for the trip. 

Rookie Mistake
Just when I thought I was beyond making those 'Pre-Whole30-Lifestyle-Mistakes', I found myself smack-dab in the middle of one today! Having had a crazy morning I hadn't packed myself a lunch, so my co-worker and I decided to run into town to get salads. This is the first time I have ordered anything on the Whole30 from any restaurant, so you can imagine the learning curve I was about to make. 

Money, Money, Money
So last week I promised a budget-friendly approach to the Whole30 menu. What I didn't realize at the time was that if there is an easy way and a hard way to Whole30, I was doing it the hard way. If you get into the Whole30 details you will find that it is not a requirement to have all organic, 100% grass-fed foods. It is strongly suggested, but it won't ruin your Whole30 experience to eat food that is not organic. Newsflash anyone? It was to me!