The Transformation Thus Far

I'm cleaning out some photos on my phone and would like to share my transformation so far. It's hard to believe how much my body has changed and that I will continue to get bigger over the next 3 months! And even more amazing is that this is what I'm designed to do and I will bounce back! Incredible, right? I'm proud of my healthy baby belly and the little girl growing inside me. More updates to come! Her nursery is almost complete and every day plans are being made for her, items being bought, names being discussed....

5 weeks pregnant

27 weeks pregnant

Quite the transformation so far! Looking back I can't believe I didn't think I had a flat stomach. This experience is certainly going to change my body image in the future!

Travel Bucket List

There have been many conversations in the Stewart household about all the amazing and ambitious things we want to do with our lives. We've accomplished a lot so far, but we both have an insatiable desire to do it all, see it all, and be the best. So although at times it feels like a curse because, realistically, you just can't accomplish it all, I do enjoy being a dreamer. My dreams always get bigger, progress with my life, and push me to do better.

This weekend Doug and I are at Sebring International Raceway. Doug was in FL earlier in the week for an Audi track event (this lucky man got to spend 2 days racing Audi's for work...life is tough), so he planned a head and trailered his Porsche down. After 2 days in West Palm with Audi we met up in Sebring so he could spend 2 days driving on one of the most famous tracks in the US. Please let me add that this is immediately following a three day weekend in which he drove his Audi at Virginia International Raceway.

We're having a great time and meeting interesting people. In this racing community there are a lot of Europeans, which reminds me how badly I want to travel to Europe. I wanted to travel everywhere, really (see an older blog post about this). I decided to finish this blog, which I actually started 2 months ago, about my all the places I want to see before I die. I'm sure this list will grow, and I may be leaving out some pretty important places already. There's just so much and I want to take it all in! So I figure, by putting it down I'm making some sort of a commitment. I can read this later and feel good knowing I'm crossing some things off.


First, let's start with the places that are at my disposal in the US. According to Budget Travel these are the 20 places every American should see in their lifetime (I have crossed through places I have already visited):


1. Grand Canyon

2. Yellowstone National Park

3. Highway 1, California

4.
Magic Kingdom (Orlando, Florida)

5.
Times Square, New York City

6. Las Vegas Strip

7. Hollywood Walk of Fame

8. South Beach (Miami, Florida)

9. French Quarter (New Orleans, Louisiana)

10.
Gettysburg National Military Park

11. Nashville, Tennessee

12.
National Mall, Washington, D.C.

13.
Independence National Historical Park (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

14. Taos Pueblo, New Mexico

15. Fenway Park (Boston, Massachusetts)

16. Civil Rights District (Atlanta, Georgia)

17. Architecture in Chicago, Illinois

18. Pearl Harbor

19. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

20.
Ellis Island, New Jersey



Outside the US I'd like to visit the below places. Please keep in mind that this limited list is based off of what I've heard, seen online, seen on TV etc. I'm sure with a little more research it will change and grow. The places in BOLD are the places I'm sure will be completed, either because I have a friend with a home there, plans are already in the works, or it's simply an easier trip to plan.

1. Plitvice National Park in Croatia

2. Meteora, Greece

3. Rome, Italy

4. Southern France (particularly during the Le Mans 24 Hour Race)

5. Amsterdam

6. Berlin

7. Paris

8. Hiking in Switzerland

9. Albanian Riviera

10. Lake Geneva

11. London

12. Barcelona

13. Budapest

14. Alaska

15. Bali

16. Egypt

17. Venice

18. Thailand

19. The Gold Coast in Australia

20. Prague

21. Yangtze River, China

22. Beijing

23. Tibet

24. Mount Fuji

25. Honduras

26. Quebec

27. Mazinaw Lake, Ontario

28.  The Glapagos Islands, Ecuador

29. Buenos Aires, Argentina

30. Paraty, Brazil


Quite the list, right? I have a lifetime to work on checking things off! Are there any places you feel like you MUST see in your life?

Sweet Healthy Bites

A few days ago I wanted a quick and sweet treat, but I wanted it to be healthier than grabbing a cookie out of the cookie jar. Let's face it, it's easy to get carried away when you're pregnant and have something to blame the extra weight on. And since my pre-pregnancy cravings have always involved sugar, it's no surprise that my during pregnancy cravings do as well.

I follow a blog, Purely Twins, written by 2 twins in NC who are dedicated to healthy living, fitness, and some really interesting food. I say really interesting because MANY of their recipes involve ingredients I don't have in my house, and some I've never even heard of. But they are healthy, usually gluten free, sometimes raw, and the photos make them  look delicious. They even have cookie and donut recipes! A friend of mine is vegan, so I forward her a lot of the vegan recipes they post. But again, since many of the ingredients are not common in my household I've yet to try many of their dishes.  I finally came across one recipe that I found a link to on their blog that seemed easy enough for me and it only has 4 ingredients:

Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Balls

I didn't save the link to the recipe and I'm not having a hard time finding the exact one that I used (though there are a TON of variations). The recipe I followed had 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder,  natural peanut butter, cocoa, and organic honey. That's it. I mixed it all together then rolled 4 balls by hand. Simple and super fast! I ate one immediately and refrigerated the other 3 for later. They made a great addition to my morning breakfast for the next few days. I'm sure I will be making these delicious little balls more often :)