Be Careful

That's what Brady's friend, Cody, says to anyone who might be accepting an invitation to the Pugh's for dinner.  We started juicing about three weeks ago.  And by juicing I mean putting lots of fruits and vegetables in a juicer...not steroids (apparently that is also called juicing).  My mom casually mentioned the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead to me.  Eric and I watched it and found ourselves inspired to give it a try.  I then mentioned it to our friends, Justin and Melody, and they started juicing the next day.  They mentioned it to more friends and now we have a huge community of friends who are juicing.  Most are juicing once or twice a day for huge nutritional benefits not necessarily to lose weight. Cody just happened to be with us the day our juicer came and helped us buy our first load of produce at Costco.  We then went home for a dinner of juice....  and a family movie night of Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead on Netflix; Cody included.  The guys were inspired, as well, after the documentary...maybe I should say they held some reserved enthusiasm.  Except they are guys and the thought of seeing what happened to whatever they put in the juicer really peaked their interest more than anything I think.  So we all stood around in the kitchen while we prepped produce and oohed and ahhhed as juice came out.  And then we divided up our juice concoction and toasted to our health!  And in the days that followed we realized one juicer wasn't enough because we had to wait our turn.  So now we have two.  Laramy announced after the second day that he felt better.  That speaks volumes because he only eats raw carrots, meat, and junk food.  Brady and Ayden were in from the beginning and will basically drink anything.  Brady even bought his own juicer for his apartment.  Bren and Sarah were up and they gave it a try, too.  Logan has been the most skeptical.  But I found out he has been juicing by himself and he is trying anything I make.  And a few days ago my mom and dad started juicing, too. 

One of these things is not like the others....... well, they are nuts ;)

Pretty and colorful.... who would not love this?

Eric and I started our venture by trying to do a juice fast for ten days.  The first two days went really well and I never felt hungry although it was quite a mental game and I wished I could chew something.  By day three I had dropped four pounds and I was a little concerned about the fast weight loss but I felt great.  By the end of day three Eric and I both wanted to season our juice with some grilled chicken!  And it was then that we realized we both needed protein with our juice.  So by day four I was eating some nuts with my juice and some healthy meat with my dinner juice.  Since then we haven't really stopped juicing.  We are making it a way of life and I feel really, really good.  I juice for breakfast and lunch and eat a normal dinner. 

This is not juice...everything in moderation...we went out to eat and these are loaded waffle fries

Brady also bought a bike...not just any bike... a Giant full carbon frame bike.  It only weighs eight pounds.  And now we are all biking, too.  I am so very excited.  I completed my first RAGBRAI when I was forty-two to the surprise and amazement of my sons and husband.  Ayden bought his first bike when he was nine with his paper money and he completed his first RAGBRAI at the age of 11.  Eric has been our crew and he wasn't sure he ever wanted to bike that much until this summer.  I fixed up my first bike for him to get started and he loves it.  Logan bought a hybrid for transportation to work. And Laramy started riding Eric's bike during the day while he is at work.  Last week myself, Brady, Laramy, and Ayden rode to Pammel and back... a great accomplishment for Laramy.  And the next day Brady, Ayden, and I took Logan on a 15 mile journey mostly around town.  Logan was quite impressive with keeping up and while we nearly killed him he is inspired to start riding more with us too.  I have to say that I felt like a momma hen with her brood of chicks following behind....... it was awesome!!  We are now living with five bikes in our dining/living room and one on the porch.  I love it.

Ayden and I starting out on our 100 mile day RAGBRAI 2011..next year our group will be bigger

And so this brings me back to Cody, Brady's friend.  Brady and Laramy were heading out for a ride and Cody decided he wanted to go along.  In fact, he thought Pammel sounded like a great idea..he was in... Not the best thing to choose for your first ride with the Pugh's.  But apparently we didn't kill his spirit for riding as he says he would do it again and felt great.  He does, however, tease that everyone should be careful about any invitations they accept from the Pugh's... as dinner might just be juice and a bike ride is not just a casual stroll. 

We are enjoying summer...hope you all are too!
God Bless,
Love,
Monica