superhappyjohi

Why am I quitting facebook...

2012-02-13T21:52:00.003+02:00

... it was a sudden realization last week, that hit me: why do I behave like a different person glued to the screen when my husband talks to me and why am I ignoring him? Is it because of the status update of that high-school classmate, I didn´t see for 10 years or the comment I just received a few minutes ago from a friend, which I mus read immediately?

Yes, I do have a lot of real friends on facebook and a lot of people who I met at one point in my life, but still... do I really want to be part of their daily life and share mine with them? Is it really the only way to communicate? The status updates of a moment and pictures of our life which we can chose, manipulate and share with everyone? really? I hate it, that I just want to check the messages and I didn´t even realize that I was glued to the computer scrolling down and watching on the wall for half an hour... it steals my time permanently... how did that happen?! Facebook is addictive, it is a time thief and source of a lot of jealousy and insecurities... so I made my decision: I quit. I am closing my account permanently.

To all of my real friends all over the world: you can follow me here , on the juli&johi blog, write me emails (and I will answer - promise!), talk to me on skype or come and visit (let us know before) and stay in touch!

news...

2012-02-12T16:26:00.005+02:00

from here

... it has been a lil quiet over here, but I promise you won't be bored in the next months... I am going to share with you the process of starting my own business as a graphic designer. I hope you will motivate me to work toward this big goal of mine and I can update you with my progress. The blog will get a facelift for spring and I am going to have some giveaways too, so stay tuned... I hope that the freshness wind of spring will give me tons of great ideas and endurance to stick to fullfilling them. You will be a part of this!

RainBoots

2012-02-01T12:10:00.003+02:00

I wish I would have on a pair of these today...

Folding Rain Boot (Folding Welly) - Granite Grey

the happiness project

2012-01-30T14:53:00.005+02:00

This week I just started the first book of 2012 (19Q4 by Murakami still waiting on my shelf for me...): Gretchen Rubin> The Happiness Project from the local library. (Yes, I love to go to the library every now and then)
I am generally a very optimistic and happy person (see blog name) and love setting goals for myself. I think you already know it from training for races, starting swimming etc. but for this year I have a new concept! For every month I will set 3 goals and each month I will try to pay attention to these (and keep the ones from before)

January is almost over and I had a few goals til now:
- do the 21 days mind and body challange - I did it with some slight modifications (in order to have more energy for my marathon traning)
- train for the marathon - ongoing
- swim 3 times a week - at least 2 or 3 times
- plant kale -yes i did!
- start a compost - I finally did it!!! :)

February goals:
- go to sleep earlier - at 22h - usually we are in bed between 23 and 24h but I try to sqeeze it more in order to be fit at 5.45 when we wake up
-(stick to the running plan - listen to my body)
- toss, restore, organize - in general keep it tidy at home - I started to do this already last year: before leaving the house and going to be, put things in place, anything which taked less then a minute to do (like put back the hairdryer on its place etc.) I must be better in this and walk around with an open eye!

everything is possible...

2012-01-23T17:22:00.007+02:00

Last week I run the highest milage ever in my life. (62,7 km) ... and this number will grow now with every week... on one hand I feel so empowered and super fit, on the other I am scared so much of the 42kms (in 2 months)... I know that I should run for the fun and not think about times - but it is hard... I know, that this is going to be my first marathon and I should just concentrate on enjoying and finishing it... so I try to incorporate that mindset in my training, not to overthink things. Just go out (even if it is hard to wake up now in the winter) and see the beauty around me...

Two weeks ago I started to run to work (15.5 km) and it became a habit now :) today I came again with a huge bag of clothes, towels and food to leave it here, since tomorrow is wednesday - and I am running to work! It is so exciting! :) The route goes thru 3 cities and last week I found a few less busy streets and little parks with palmtrees, which were amazing. Can't wait for tomorrow!

What is with the detox? I am still prepairing daily raw salads with nuts and cooking soups, wildrice, quinoa with a lots of veggies. No alcohol, no coffe, no sugar (only agave nectar), I eat gluten, even white flour from time to time (but very little bread)-... I baked these amazing chickpea brownies and we devoured them in 2 days. You mus try them too!

new music discovery

2012-01-17T15:46:00.002+02:00

I just heard from Selah Sue today from a friend at work. She is amazing!!! Check out her music!

today...

2012-01-16T17:12:00.003+02:00

working patiently on our bathroom floor sinnce months (almost done)

... is my love's birthday! He is the greatest man, so patient, kind and full of love.
We are going to listen and see our favorite jazz group in Herzeliya tonight after some yummie food. Happy Birthday my Love!

cleanse update

2012-01-16T17:09:00.001+02:00

Source: awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Week 2 is great! I am not going to bore you with daily updates anymore. I still on track, no gluten, no sugar (only dates, agave nectar), no alcohol, no eggs, (don't have to write: no meat and no diary), only sea salt. I made tons of salads, roasted vegetables, soups, fresh fruits and smoothies. Drinking a lot of water and tea... Nothing new. :) I made this very tasty coconut panna cotta (this is not so fat-free but vegan) - it turned out amazing! Running is fun, I've been out every day this week and plan to run on wednesday again to work. Unfortunately the weekend was so rainy that I had to cancel my long run... it was not fun at all.

8th day

2012-01-12T08:00:00.006+02:00

my 1st breakfast

Today started great - after a long sleep - I woke up energized. I took a shower and had a fruit salad of persimmon, apple, banana and almonds with some cinnamon. I came to work and later had a second breakfast: oatmeal with 2 dates and a few almonds. :)

I can't believe that I am this clean eating since 8 days and I feel so good, no cravings... it is all about organizing and planning my day ahead, but it works wonderfully.

I don't miss gluten, bread and pasta, because I eat enpough other healthy carbs... I am sure I won't go totally glutenfree (as long as I don't have to like my sis and brother), because I love home made wholewheat bread, cakes and cookies... but I will try to make them raw whenever possible. Eating no refined sugar works perfectly, because dates and bananas completely fullfill my needs of (natural) sugar. I stopped missing salt, but for sure I will use some good quality seasalt in the future - for now I am really fine without.

I always love dto prepare my own food for work, and never ordered, but now I am even more conscious about what I eat. I plan ahead and it really helps not to be in a despreate situation... as I said, i eat both beans and quinoa too... I will continue with this as long as I feel that I don't need more than this. People already telling me that I lost a lil more weight - I didn't measure in the last days - I will check maybe tomorrow- but I feel energized and that's what counts! Have a great thursday!

7th day

2012-01-12T07:58:00.007+02:00

This is me, with a skeptical face before my run to work... later the sun came out and i really enjoyed my run. It was the first time that I ran 15 km during the week. I usually run my long runs on saturday - this week it will be 22 km and I have the whole day to relax after...

I took all my clothes and food the day before to work and had only a fuel belt with two small water bottles filled with my home made isotonic drink (juice of an orange and 2 pinches of sea salt diluted with water to 0,5l), home made gel (medjool dates, almonds, chiaseeed-gel) and my pockets stuffed with tissues and my bra (which I forgot to take the day before - haha:)). The weather was windy but sunny and I had a great run. It took me netto 1:30 hours, with all the waiting at traffic lights and water stops about 2hours - so I arrived sweating at the office shortly before nin and hoped that I won't meet anyone before I can jump in to the shower :) but I met a co-worker, who was shocked as I told her that I just came all the way by running...

My breakfast was a bowl of oatmeal with medjool dates, almonds and hemps seeds and I had a banana later. Lunch was a big mixed salad as usual, with a lot of tahini and seeds. I was really tired in the afternoon, ate an orange and tons of almonds with dates ... I could stay concentrated til the end of the day. I didn't go to swim - it really should have been too much... we got home and after eating a pomelo and drinking a tea we went straight to bed at 20:30 (!) and slept thru the night :) it couldn't be better that that.

6th day

2012-01-10T16:50:00.007+02:00

The week is almost over and I enjoy this so much! I finally had all the ingredients which I use for my green smothie and after my morning run (8km) I made my yummy green monster with 2 hands full of spinach, 1/2 frozen banana, 2 medjool dates, 5 icecubes, 2 tbsp of hemp protein powder, 1 tsp. chiaseeds dissolved in water. I had to hurry, so I took it in this cute bottle. Green smoothie on the go.

At work I ate a hand full of almonds and raisins and my lunch was a big salad topped with tahini.
In the afternoon I had a pomelo, 3 dates with 3 almonds. After work I am going to meet a friend in Tel Aviv, fuel on some veggies and going home to sleep good before tomorrow's run - which is thanks to Delish - my first experiment to commute to work by running. I have a 15.5km route through 3 cities and I am very excited. Good thing that I know this road and we did it with Sh. by bike already (it is mostly flat or downhill). I brought already today all my clothes and food for tomorrow, so that I can ran only with my fuel belt... wish me luck! :)

At my friend´s home we drank tea and we ate some dates, later on the way home I was hungry and looking for a healthy snack and I had a huge luck to find this amazing juice bar on the way to my bus station.

I had a beet, orange, apple, carrot juice and enjoyed it so much!

Sh. came to pick me up at the bus station and as I told hime that I am hungry without telling me he drove us to our favorite falafel place and i could properly fuel for my run the day after :) I had falafel with salad and tahini - they put chips on top which I gave to Sh. :P it was soo good! I know that the fried falafel is not the most detoxing food, but it is vegan and I know that their ingredients are fine.

5th Day

2012-01-09T15:13:00.007+02:00

No worries, I am still here... I was just too busy yesterday...

So here is day 5:
Yesterday evening Sh. told me it is going to rain like crazy in the morning so I planned to postpone my morning temporuns to thursday and do some exercise together in the evening. It meant that finally I din't have to wake up at 5:45 as usual but could sleep til 7h. This was exactly what I needed... but actually there was no rain in sight as I woke up - it was sunny... still I know I needed this good night sleep. After I woke up and kissed Sh. goodbye (he leaves at 7h) I went to take shower and measured myself (60.5 kg it said). I had a fruit salad of pomelit, orange, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon and almonds.

Later at work I had a few almonds and cranberries. My lunch was a big salad of mixed baby leaves, beet greens, edamame, sprouts from home, hemp and sunflower seeds with my usual sauce. I topped with some tahini and wanted to eat some home made hummus on side, but it was too much.

Later in the afternoon I ate an orange. After work we did a big shopping and stocked up on more veggies and fruits... As we got home we just cleaned and I prepared this salad, which we ate with some tahini and went to bed.

salad from lettuce, spinach, beets, sprouts, radish, tomatoes

new blog crush

2012-01-08T17:15:00.005+02:00

If you don't know it yet: After The Selby and FreundeVonFreunden I found this amazing Photoblog The Glow a few months ago! A must for every mom and mom-to-be... soooo good!!!

you

2012-01-08T17:10:00.004+02:00

< style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; FLOAT: left; PADDING-TOP: 0px">

Source: lambandserpent.tumblr.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Always try to remember that you are:

Braver than you believe…
Stronger than you may seem…
Smarter than you think…
And 100x more beautiful than you ever imagined.

Now, read it again.

from here

4th Day

2012-01-08T12:00:00.008+02:00

my lunch

I can't belive that it is already Day 4 and I din't have a hard time to keep up with this clean way of eating. I didn't have any headaches or bloating or anything. I consider this to the fact that I don't drink coffee and don't eat any meat and diary. I thought it will be harder to say no to gluten and sugar... but it works so far.

I woke up today - not too tired after yesterday long run - so I decided that I will do a 45 minutes pilates workout in the morning. Before that I had a pomelit (sweet green grapefruit). I didn't weighted myself, because I didn't find the scale of my parents in law and we don't have any. (Ours is somewhere in the bsaement, since more than a year - I don't need it) Anyway it is better not the weight every day - it only makes you inscene... so it was a great morning - I had enough time to prepare another smoothie (orange, banana, apple and hempseeds) and put together the ingredients for my lunch later. At work I had a cup of rooibush tea and water. My lunch is a big salad of: spinach leaves, beetgreens (from my garden), pomegranate seeds,2 hand full of sprouts (wellness mix), hemp and sunflower seeds with my ultimate dressing. It was yummy!!! In the afternoon I had a pomelo and at 5 I ate my pre-swimming dinner: the left over of my lunch.

eating at my desk

After work I got home, skyped with my family and packed my stuff for swimming. In the water I felt some hunger, but I took some snacks with me for after (cashew, almonds and a banana), which I ate on the way back home. Now I just ate from the veggie soup and half of the raw carrot cake which is also completely over now... time to make a grocery shopping tomorrow! :)

3rd day

2012-01-07T11:55:00.013+02:00

Today I woke up very late at 11(this is the day to sleep out). I measured myself and it said: 61 kg. It is an old fashioned scale but over the weeks I will see the tendency.

I had a morning smoothie, a yellow one (don´t worry the green ones are coming up soon too) with banana, orange, carrots, chia and hemps seeds. I made a salad (with spinach leaves, avocado, soybeans, quinoa, carrot and sweet potato) with tahini on top and prepaired two big boxes of hummus for later.

After that I worked on the balcony, did order in the huge mess (from the renovations) and in worked in my rooftop garden. Finally I planted half of the kale seeds I bought 2 months ago. (They actually need winter climate, so it was about time to finally plant them) The weather was amazing - I enjoyed the sunshine so much! We cleaned the whole apartment and I was really tired after (Sh. worked so hard the whole day in the bathroom)

It took me ages and finally at 5 o'clock, overcame myself and put on my running clothes and shoes to run my long run of the week. The beautiful sun was already gone and it got a lil chilly but there was no way back... I planned to run 18 km, it turned out to be 19.5 at the end. It is a great run after 3 weeks of not running more than 11kms. I was really having fun on this run, as soon as I was leaving the house I decided to enjoy! (the music gave a good push) As I finished I still couldn't grasp that I made it bad just run almost 20 kms and even enjoyed it... normally I don't like to run in the evenings (I am still aftraid of those bats), but today was great and no bats in sight (I think they knew that I am coming :))

After I got home, did the stretching, ate again from the veggie soup and took a hot shower. Later I ate my left over quinoa salad from the morning and topped it with a lot of hummus (proteins!!!).

Have a great weekend!

2nd day

2012-01-06T20:50:00.008+02:00

Today morning I woke up and measured myself for the first time since ages... the scale said: 62kg. I am quiet happy with that. :) Will see if it will change in the next weeks. If not, it is also OK.

First thing I drank a glass of warm water with juice of a lemon and later prepared my orange shake. The ingredients were: 2 carrots, 1 banana, 1 persimmon, 5 ice cubes and 2 tbsp hemp seeds. (at the end I had 2 glasses)

Because Friday is weekend here, we did some renovations in the bathroom and the kitchen (so hard work :) more for Sh. than for me) but I still had some time to prepare brunch for us and some tasty raw dessert for later. I made a big salad for Sh. and he ate some leftover pasta. I made a quinoa salad for myself. It was sooo tasty!

I mixed, spinach leaves, 1 cup of quinoa, soybeans, 1 small avocado, pomegranate seeds, hemp seeds and sesame seeds with my ultimate dressing:

Later I cooked some chickpeas for hummus tomorrow and a raw carrot cake with cashew icing from Purely Elisabeth´s Winter cookbook.

image from Purely Elisabeth´s Winter cookbook - page 12

I will try it only now, because after I finished my work I went to swim. After the warmup we had a test of swimming 30 minutes without stopping and we had to count the laps. I am amazed that it was not so hard at all... After swimming we sat together and people ate cakes and drank coffee, I had a banana and drank my water. Later as I arrived, I ate a cup of the left over veggie soup and after that we had a family shabat dinner. I had a big mixed salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, purple onion with olive oil and lemon juice), some steamed kohlrabi, sweet potato and carrots with tahini dressing. Now we are going to watch some movie and eat the dessert. The dessert was awesome!

1st day

2012-01-05T14:11:00.015+02:00

pink smoothie this morning

Today I started the Mind Body Challange. I will summarize my day in this post.

The alarm went on at 5:45, but I couldn't get out of bed 'til 5:55 and was standing there and thinking if I should go back to bed or not... I felt my legs from yesterday's swimming and actually today supposed to be my rest day, but since I didn't run according to the plan in the last week, I wanted to run today (even though I ran yesterday morning too...) anyway, it was extremely hard to make the decision and head out. I was a little late - I started after 6:30 and felt very good all the way. It motivated me, that one of my swimmer friends told me, that she will be running in circles with her army base people in one park in the neighbor city. My 8km route leads thru that area anyway. So I knew I am going to see her. After I turned back (at 4km) I really saw her and we run about 100 meters together and it was fun. I continued home and she went on with her circle. I arrived home quite late and I knew I won't have enough time to get ready on time to go out with Sh.'s father, so I told him and went up to prepare a pink shake for breakfast and do some stretching.

The beautifully pink shake included: 1 beet, 1 carrot, 1 persimon, 1/2 frozen banana, fresh juice of 3 oranges, 1/3 cup of ice cubes, 2 tbsp. hemp seeds (for protein and EFAs) - it took me some time (almost 3 glasses) to devour this amazing smoothie!

I came to work and during reading, I fell asleep in the bus... it never happened to me before, but I missed my station and woke up exactly after it... It took me some time to get to work. As I arrived, I had a chai tea, drank a lot of clean water and didn't feel hungry until 12h. At 12:30 I had a huge raw salad with: eisberg leaves, baby spinach leaves, sweet potato (this is first time that I ate it raw), kohlrabi, carrot, beet, sprinkled with sunflower and hemp seeds and my ultimate sauce of 1/2 flax seed oil, 1/6 olive oil, 1/3 apple cider vinegar, honey (now I see, that it should be replaced by agave nectar) and mustard. Without any added salt! This is a big thing, as I always automatically used to grab the saltshaker in the office kitchen... at home we only use sea salt, but I will skip that one too for the next 21 days - it won't be easy!

My afternoon snack were 8 cashews, an orange and 2 dried apricots. At 5 I started to feel tired, but nothing serious. I had the rest of my lunch salad in front of the computer and went home. At home now I am cooking an all you can put in it vegetable soup (without salt) and quinoa for tomorrow (and it is raining like crazy). My only question is: Will I be able to eat this without salt?

Yes I did and it was really tasty! I have to tell you that I put the Alnatura organic vegetable broth cubes, which are free from gluten and yeast, but with some sea salt. So even thoug I didn´t use extra salt it was very tasty... I think it is fine.

After I got home I just had a little pomegranate and I am planning to do some relaxing stretches, eat some soup and go to bed before Sh. comes home from swimming. (later: so I did this 45 minutes stretching session - and it felt so good! - my hamstrings are so tight from running)

You asked how I can keep up this plan while training for a marathon?
First of all if you took a look at the plan, it is not a detox, in a way that I don´t eat anything... it is the opposite, I am eating a lot but only from whole foods. The first week is about excluding all the possible allergens and focusing on vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

- I eat big amounts of vegetables and fruits (if I say huge salad: it is a big salad bowl only for myself) - it is very important not to be hungry - ever!- I include enough protein in my diet: hemp-, and flax seeds (Hemp is a high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acids just like flax seed- but flax seeds has to be grained in order to be digested good), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds (Tahini) or nuts, like almond, cashew, walnuts etc. Protein Recommendation for Female Vegan [based on 0.8-1 gram of protein per kilogram body weight for 63 kg female] 50-63 grams- In my smoothies I always include Hemp protein or hemp seeds or home made almond milk- only the first week is so strict and even than I will be adding quinoa and some cooked beans (chickpeas, soybeans and black beans) before my long run. It is very important not to miss proteins in the trainings period - my muscles need them - very important to listen to my body and how I feel - i will update you on that- the only change to my regular vegan diet is the absence of gluten, any processed foods (like sugar and salt) - I don't drink coffee, rarely drink any alcohol and don't eat any diary since more than a year...so i plan that it will be just a clean version of my normal diet. (if I say diet I mean my eating habits not a plan to loose weight!)

Good luck to everyone who decided to join this challenge!

21-Day Mind + Body Challenge

2012-01-04T11:15:00.017+02:00

Source: food52.com via Johanna on Pinterest

After 10 days of sugar overload in Hungary as I came home and still felt sick - I thought a super cleanse would be a great idea! Even though there were much more healthy veggie options on this holiday table, I still ate too much sugary cookies... that's christmas in my family. The Whole Living Action Plan's yearly detox sounds perfect for me, since I am already eating vegan (plus organic eggs) and normally quite healthy (no coffee, only sea salt, very little alchohol). So I hope it won't be a crazy change for me to completely skip processed food, added sugar, gluten and alchohol.

I also like that the plan is not only raw, since this time of the year I am craving soups more than ever.

For breakfast I usually eat oatmeal with dried fruits, home made granola or drink a big green smoothie. As a pre-lunch snack I eat a banana or 3 dates with almonds. For lunch I usually eat a huge salad with everything I have in the fridge (spinach, carrots, tomatoes, soybeans or tofu, beets, sweet potatoes with nuts and seeds etc.) with mustard- honey vinaigrette or tahini sauce. (Sometimes it is pumpkin soup, noodles or quinoa with a lots of veggies or whole rice with legumes) Usually I cook 2 times for a few days in advance, something what we enjoy to eat, but I love salads more than anything. I rarely feel tired in the afternoon when I eat a salad. In the afternoon I have a pomelit (green grapefruit) or dates with almonds. The dinner depends on my plans, if I am swimming in the evening, I'll eat at 17h at work an early dinner, which can be the left overs of my lunch or a whole wheat bun with avocado, tomatoes or tahini. If I have a regular day, I will either meet a friend and eat out (soup, falafel or salad) or eat at home a sandwich or what ever is in the fridge. We don't buy any sweets only the Lotus biscuits and if i need a sweet treat I bake or prepare it myself. (mostly in the weekend)

What i want to achive with this: 1. be healthy 2. loose a little extra weight (if i could go under 60kg it would be great) 3. have more energy in the mornings 4. clear skin 5. reduce black circles under my eyes

What I am going to eat during Week 1: fruits, vegetables, and plant-based fats, including nuts, seeds, and oils

What I am going to add back in Week 2: beans and lentils, and organic soy

What I am going to add back in Week 3: gluten-free grains and organic eggs

Additionally to my running plan and the swimming training I will do weekly 1-2 times pilates&stretching and take time for praying and reading and reflecting on my day in the evening before bedtime.

That's the plan. I started with transition today and kick off the plan tomorrow. I will update you daily and hope to keep me motivated in the next 3(or 4 weeks). Who wants to join?

2012 goals

2012-01-03T15:08:00.010+02:00

Any new year resolutions for 2012?

First let's check what I could achieve from my goals for 2011:
I updated you already a few months ago, and now I am sharing the final results:

1. Smile! - trying everyday
2. Start an organic garden on our rooftop. - started and succeded to grow all kind of eatable and beautiful plants
3. Pray regularly. - not enough
4. Sleep more - definitely success
5. Go for a morning run every other day. - big success
6. Eat 80% whole foods. (stick to the guidlines). - success during the year if i don't count the last 2 weeks spent at my family ( I think I have a sugar overdose)
7. Drink a lot of water. - success - I love my sigg bottle
8. Less facebook and bullsh*t time on the web more time with my husband. - I am trying
9. Take an advanced hebrew course and by the end of the year read a (it can be short, but not children´s) book in hebrew. - ook a course but didn't finish a complete book
10. Keep calm and rest enough. - as i said in 4. i slept more and worked less overtime
11. Go on with the saving like in 2010 in order to have our own place for a family. - we could do it and getting closer to our goal

So now up to the new goals of 2012:

- run my first marathon in Tel Aviv - on the 30th of March - I just signed up 2 days ago and can't wait to have a long run this weekend (I am still sick a lil bit, so I was on rest in the last week and it feels like an eternity by now...) I hope to proceed with my trainings as I wish very soon...

- continue to grow veggies and dark green leaves in my garden - I can't wait to plant the kale seeds I ordered a few month ago (but didn't have time til now)

- eat as clean as possible, mostly seasonal and local produce - cut out all processed condinements (once I was very succesfull with it, but I have to jump back on track) - I wish to support a CSA but Sh. says it is too expensive (this is a topic that comes up from time to time and I hope to convince hime one day, latest when we will have our first child)

- do a triathlon with my husband - we still have to pick a race but we definitely want to do it!

- spend less time on facebook - I have to limit myself to a daily or weekly time budget!

- spend my time on real friends offline or online

- start our own design business with my husband - we already did a few small jobs, but this year we are going to sign ourselves as a small business, build our portfolio and seriously look for some clients - so if you need a graphic or product designer, let me know! :)

- focus on building a base for a family home - spiritualy, personaly and financialy

- (still) read more in hebrew, read at least the same amount (in english, hungarian and german)as in 2011 (i think I never read so many books as in 2011)

- talk hungarian to Sh. (his big goal is to speak fluent hungarian, before we have a family)

- go to sleep early, in order to wake up early

That's it for now...

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-22T16:55:00.002+02:00

images from here

Have a Merry Christmas and a happy Channukah! We are flying home to my family tonight and can't wait to spend time with my loved ones! Wish you all the best and a very blessed start in the new year! See you in 2012!!!

Beit Shean Halfmarathon Race Recap

2011-12-22T10:54:00.031+02:00

It is already a few days back, but my fascination didn't fade since then... I still so happy about the fact that i could run my first half marathon in a good time and have so much fun during the race...

After some oatmeal for breakfast - I must eat after I wake up- we drove off at 6 in the morning to the north. It took us an hour and a half to get to the area of the run. At the last 15 kms we saw a bunch of cars with runners... I drove Sh. crazy with my excitement to get to pick up the runners' package. (But all in all I stayed quite calm on the way.) We got there exactly as we planned and headed to the hall where i could pick up my number (which included the chip) and blue new balance t-shirt (the last one in size s). I ate a home made gel (this recipe with some extra chia seeds) and did some warm up jumping...

jumping around

on the way to the starting line - Gan Ha Shlosha National Park

Sh. came with me to the starting line, i did some running up and down, put my music and kissed him goodbye. I really go emotional, even almost started to cry - i just couldn't grasp it that i made it so far and I am running my first Hm today... It was time to align with the other 2500 runners. I put M.I.A: Paper planes and started to get really excited... few more minutes and we started.

I tried to keep my pace slow, but it was really hard in the begging, so even that i was slow I started too fast (5:35 per km) at the 3rd km i found my perfect pace and could keep it all over the race. The place was amazing ( in the middle of a beautiful valley, surrounded by hills and some lakes, kibbutzim). The weather was perfect (even that we expected rain) perfectly sunny! I just listened to my music and connected to the people around me and enjoyed the run. Picked up some water at the first station and felt some stitches at km 5, but they disappeared as i continued... I saw a guy with terrible muscle cramps, laying next to the road at km 5 (that's what happens when you run put too fast - i though - i hope he is ok now). I ran the next kms next to a girl in a blue shirt with a steady pace. I passed a few people, and a few people passed me and I was excited to see where I will be at 10 km. I passed the 10k line at 56:55 or something, which was great (i run 6 month ago the TA 10k in 56:45) so I was more than happy, since the half of the road was ahead of me and I told myself I can make it around 2 hours if everything goes great...

looks like I am having fun at 10 km (the guy behind me was with me for about 5kms and then I flew off :)

I ate a gel, had some water and run up the biggest hill on the mostly flat terrain. At km 14 we arrived to Beit Shean ( a very small town), and I saw a sign with the name of my husband (which was a sign for me that he is thinking of me... actually he was sleeping in the car and dreaming of me). I passed the girl in the blue t-shirt for the last time, got some cheering from cute kids and I though, wow it is almost over, enjoy every moment!

I was not tired, I kept my power for the last kms (as Evi told me - such a great tip!) kept my steady pace (5:55 per km) and started to run off my butt from km 19. It was hurting, yes it was, but i couldn't care less, I just wanted to give my best. Took a last zip of water (it was really hot already). Got a lil disappointed seeing some other runners who finished much before me and were running the way back to cool down, but it also meant, that I was almost there... I saw the gas station where we turned left, passed a few people and was running the last 700 meters. Sh. surprised me at the entrance to the park (he managed to wake up on time) took some pictures and ran the last 300 meters with me. (Actually to cheer me up he sprinted like crazy... I couldn't keep up with him)

here I come and somehow still look happy

I saw the finish line and gave everything - look at these amazing finish line photos. :) Yes, the guy in the gray hat and with the huge smile is my husband... he took all the fame from me :)

Sh. checking his time

I stopped my watch and it said 2:04:40 (the final results gave me 2:04:29 - which I am more than happy with!) and continued to run forward to the tables where they hanged a medal in my neck and got some water. Later I grabbed a grapefruit and walked around the park. We went to the car. I changed in to flip flops (another great suggestion I got from the internet) and we took our food and i took a shower in the freezing cold water (but it was felt sooo good afterwards) and had a picnic at the lake. I got a feet massage and stretched for half an hour...

proud

food!!!

resting...

We got into the car, drove home ( a lil rain pour on us) - me with a runner's high... and I went to the swimming training to move my muscles... it was hard and after 800ms I jumped out of the pool and told my trainer that that was it for me and I am going to eat the entire fridge at home... I went home and ate two entire meals and dessert and went to sleep, the next morning I woke up ate breakfast and went back to sleep. Woke up at 12 and ate a huge brunch and dessert and that was the first time since the race that I felt full... :) What an amazing experience!

My next big chaalange is comin up on the 30th of March: the Tel Aviv Marathon!!! I still can´t belive it...

D.I.Y. Christmas ideas

2011-12-14T09:52:00.026+02:00

put on this album and enjoy!

We started a special way of giving in my big family (6 kids) a few years ago at christmas. Few weeks before the holiday, everybody picks a name from a hat and each one of us gives only to the person he picked... this year we are going to have a no budget christmas, which means, we can only give self made gifts to the person we picked. I think it is so good to give much more thought to the person and give something with a meaning. I thought to share a few really cool do it yourself projects for christmas.

Home made granola
my favorite recipes are this, this and this one. Pack it in a nice jar with personalised stickers.

Nutbutters
These are are sooo good (may favorite is almond), you must try if you have a food processor!!! This is another favorite.

Snowman Gingerbread Cookies
Make these super cute cookies and packed them in a small transparent bag or jar.

Home made Twix-bars
I definitely gonna veganise and try these.

Lipbalm
Try these or these amazing home made lipbalms

Body moisturizer

No sew totebags
Find an easy to make and cute totebag here.

Friendship bracelets
These remind me of my childhood - so cool and colorful.

Christmas gift tags

Beit Shean Half marathon video

2011-12-13T10:48:00.002+02:00

this video gives back the feeling of the day soo much - makes me smile evrytiume I watch it...

my first half marathon

2011-12-11T16:23:00.003+02:00

having fun at km 12 (picture from shvoong)

I just did it! My first half marathon was over so fast… we had an amazing weather, sunny but quite windy, perfect location, 2500 runners, a few but cheerful spectators. I could keep a good pace all over the race, even pick up at the end (my husband run the last 100 meters with me :) ) and finished with 2:04.29. I will come back with pictures and a long race recap in the next days… Thank you soo much for your support – it means so much! Unbelievable…

the day has come...

2011-12-08T19:41:00.003+02:00

...and tomorrow I am running my first half marathon... the picture was taken today morning after an easy 4.5km jog as Tula didn´t stop being cute... I just had a huge plate of pasta, yummie salad and some dark chocolate, now close my playlist, pack my stuff and go to bed!

on my playlist right now...

2011-11-30T17:29:00.001+02:00

Image from here

Bon Iver- Bon Iver

Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago

Boy And Bear - Moonfire

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

Ellie Goulding - Bright Lights

Feist - Metals

First Aid Kit - The Big Black & The Blue

Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials

Gotye - Making Mirrors

Kimbra - Vows

Oh Land - Oh Land

running update

2011-11-27T19:34:00.006+02:00

I am so excited! In less that two weeks I am running my first half marathon in Beit Shean (North of Israel)... Long time ago I finished the half marathon training and continued with the full marathon traing (which is going quite well til now)... my plan was to run the Tiberias (also in the north) marathon on the 12th of january, but after a lot of thinking, today I decided to change my plans and not to stress myself with a 32 km run on 24th of december in Hungary (chirstmas eve!) and a marathon a week after coming back from the holidays... it also would have been too expensive to sign up so late and I think I made the right decision to work on myself a lil more and run at the end of March in Tel Aviv, where all my friends can come and cheer me on the streets of the big city :)) (which is obviously a huge plus for me) So now the big pressure is off my shoulders and can´t wait to enjoy the half-marathon (and not to stress about a marathon a month later, but have some more time to breath...) Can´t wait both! And yes, if you ask me, I am still having fun during running... even 30 kms! :)

Berlin Berlin!

2011-11-20T11:05:00.016+02:00

street art

the best of autumn

My Berlin week was amazing. Work was very busy, but at the end very satisfying (I will share it in another post)... after 4 days at the hotel, on friday evening, I arrived to Lilly and everything was good again :) it felt like nothing changed, even though we haven't seen each other since our wedding in march 2009 in Hungary. That'show it is with good old friends :) Later on we went to Annina's hotel and she surprised us with good old hungarian Tokaji wine, which she kept for a special occasion since our wedding... how cool?! :) we talked, laughed and shared the last years with each other... it was such a great night.

Lilly, me & Annina with the Tokaji

The next morning was reserved for the girls from university. I couldn't wait to see them, so I rode Lilly's bike thru the streets of Berlin next to the canal - it was a magical morning... we also haven't met since we left Germany 2 years ago, and we planed this brunch since I first heard about the project in Berlin... It was so good to see the girls! We gad an amazing brunch in the coolest flat I've ever been. :) Idil's apartment is so awesome I'd move in immediately :)

tea with Kat

the owner all of these pretty things :)

Nic a lil sick, but happy

In the late afternoon I biked back to Lilly and spotted this poster on the way:

Asaf Avidan - one of the best israeli musicians

Later Annina joined us to go out that night. On the way we ate a falafel (which was -to tell you the truth - not hitting the israeli level :))

at the falafel place

Piero and Lilly having fun

waiting for the falafel to be ready and zipping orange- carrot juice...

We walked a lot in the (super) cold night and got to a nice bar somewhere in Kreuzberg. The night out was great - it was kind of big reunion of people from Uni Essen :)

The next day was reserved for Annina :) we went for a cozy brunch and walked half of the city thru Tiergarten (the biggest park in Berlin) - it was gorgeous! I saw so many runners - I just wanted to join them so bad... but walking 7kms was also great :) and I was quite tired at the end...

brunch

chocolate store

Tiergarten

sunny break at Starbucks

my soy chai tea latte

We had to do this public toilet picture - since 11 years ago we met in a kind of place like this for the first time :) i know it is creepy :P

That evening I had the best asian food ever at Tang's kantine with the girls and their boyfriends - it was such a great evening!

We road the bikes there and back in minus 2 degrees... we were freezing our asses off... it was so cold. But obviously we had some major fun!!!

The next morning I went for a run at the Tempelhof Flughafen - which is an old airport -now open for runners, bikers, skaters... Lilly took me there and took a cute video and some pics. We said goodbye and I ran to the cold winter wonderland - it was magical... but so #$%^ing cold, that as I stopped to drink my coconut water after a round and felt how much my sweaty undershirt is getting colder- I decided to head back home and not to catch a cold... it was a good decision. :)

We went for another brunch with Annina and spent some more time in Kreuzberg window shopping... what an amazing week...

one more yummie brunch

some more pretty street art at the end

Childhood food memories

2011-11-04T22:47:00.003+02:00

Source: flickr.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Evi asked me about the favorite foods of my childhood... I had to think for a while but here is the list of the ones I could remember immediately:

1. Székely Káposzta - Szekler cabbage
I must state that this meal still - even tough I am not eating any meat since more than a year... this was the dish that my mom always used to prepare for me as my favorite dish...

2. Spenót aka. Parajfözelék - spinach
I think I was the only one at school who loved the days when we had spinach at the cafeteria! Til today one of my favorite food, even though i prepare it very different - mostly I drink it! :)

3. Hawaii Pizza & Hawaii Chickenbreast
it was my ultimate order when we went to a pizzeria - how could I love it so much? I still love pine apple and the crust but all the other ingredients?! I also love the oven baked chicken breast covered with a pineapple slice and yellow cheese. I still can smell it :)

4. Minestrone
Something I got to know at my friend´s Ibi´s family on a summer vacation - it came out of a package but it was sooo good I will never forget!

5. Gesztenyepüré (tejszinhab nélkül) - Chestnut puree (without whipped cream)
Since I always hated Whipped cream I ate the famous hungarian Chestnut puree pure and I loved it. There are tons of other desserts I used to love but this was the first thing that came into my mind...

+1 i loved a lot of fruits but my all time favorite is watermelon!

Today may daily diet is quite different from the one of my childhood... but it fun to remeber all the food I used to love...

World Vegan Day

2011-11-01T17:02:00.001+02:00

Source: youaremyfave.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Happy World Vegan Day!!! more on that very soon ... :)

what kids eat...

2011-11-01T16:53:00.003+02:00

...depends only on what they see and get from their parents (and grandparents)... I am in love with this video and hope to give all the knowledge and a healthy start to our future kids... more on this topic on one of my favorite foodblogs Green Kitchen Stories... i couldn't agree more...

as you know I am a huge green smoothie fan (try to start everyday with it) and love kids - so for me this is the cutest video ever:

Green Kids from Ziggy Meilus on Vimeo.

Berlin I am coming!

2011-10-24T12:17:00.006+02:00

image from here

Can't believe that this months is almost over... where did october disappeared?!

It was indeed a very stressful month, even though we had so many holidays here in Israel. I am working on a big project (among others), which will take place in a week and a half in Berlin and I have tons of work to finish...

I am flying there to be on site at the symposium and gala event I designed and fortunately I can stay for the long weekend to meet a few friends from Germany! It's been a long time... Can't wait!

yom kippur

2011-10-06T22:37:00.006+02:00

image from here

Tomorrow evening Yom Kippur is starting and everybody is asking each other if they are going to fast or not... people not supposed to eat from tomorrow evening til the evening after. I´m not sure I won´t eat but I will definitely take a break from the internet and take time to think on a lot of things, pray... for sure I´ll take the books and finish the one I am reading and start the new ones (1,2) I borrowed from the library :) We will take big walks or ride bikes and sleep as much as possible.

People living outside of Israel can´t believe how special this day is: the roads are completely empty, no cars (max police or ambulance), huge groups of kids are biking everywhere, families are walking around the cities and everybody is so calm. Can you imagine how much the CO2 emission of Israel goes down for this day?! I wish every weekend would be like this in this crazy country!

so see you next week... have a great weekend! I´ll come back with some childhood memories answering the question of Èvi! :)

juli&johi

2011-10-02T10:29:00.002+02:00

... just a few weeks ago our photo blog with my best friend won the first price in the hungarian blog award Goldenblog in the photo category! We feel very honored! Go and check it out!

run happy

2011-10-02T07:26:00.003+02:00

brooks green silence

Two days ago I made myself a present and bought a pair of new running shoes on ebay (for a very good price). They are the same model like the ones I am running now and I am completely satisfied with them. They are minimal, neutral and very light, super comfortable and i love these new colors! I can´t say no to the neon yellow sole, it is so cool! Can´t wait to get them soon...

For all the runners out there: Do you use different type of shoes for your long runs (with more cushioning)? How many pairs of shoes do you run with? Do you rotate them daily? Til now I was running with the Green Silence every time and I love them: they are minimal (and I am completly behind minimal running and I have a forefoot- midfoot stride, and try to run according to the barefoot running. I slowly built up the distance in them and my feet doesn´t get tired in them now even on the long runs, but I thought about a different type of shoe for the upcoming (very) long runs... what do you think?!

on running

2011-10-01T14:13:00.009+03:00

What is it that makes me put on my shoes 5-6 times a week and takes me out on the road? What is this feeling that captures me every time I am rolling the kilometers even if it is hard? Why does it happen again and again that I capture myself the whole week full of anticipation about our long runs on saturday? How come i prefer to wake up early and finish the run by half past 7 then wait til the evenings after work? What is the best feeling after the run? The cool down walk til the house? Stretching on the balcony with Tula or the post-workout smoothie? Am I addicted? Does Sh. hates me, cause I make him run at least the long runs with me (he has a choice! :) ) to prepare properly for the future races? Why does even hearing or telling the name of the upcoming races put a smile on my face? Am I able to run a marathon? Why do we do this anyway? Is it possible? How does an ice bath feels after a long run? (i can tell you it feels amazing!) What kind of satisfaction it is to put a v on my trainings plan every time I made the run of the day? :)

No, I don´t have all the answers, but yes running makes me calmer, more balanced and centered. It gives me the feeling I can reach heights I´d never imagined before and teaches me a lot of discipline.

after run stretching is so good

post workout smoothie and energy balls

Here is the recipe (for Sweety and everyone who was wondering what is this green stuff I am drinking!)

Green Smoothie
1 cup fresh spinach (or any dark green leafy veggie like kale, mangold etc.)
1 banana
1 apple
3 dates (I love medjool dates)
1 tablespoon chia seeds (or ground flax seeds) + 3 tablespoon of water (let it stand for 5 minutes )
4 ice cubes

Put everything except the ice cubes in the blender and blend until smooth. Now add the ice cubes one by one and blend again until completely smooth. Enjoy!

Raw energy balls
8 medjool dates
1 hand full of almonds
2 drops of vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Place everything in the food processor, process until all ingredients stick together. Form small balls - you can roll them in some shredded coconut if you like.

Crossing of the Sea of Galilee recap

2011-09-25T22:39:00.022+03:00

We left home friday afternoon with a fully packed car direction North. We had a great time but I already felt a soar throat and tried not to talk too much - which was lil strange for Sh... we finally arrived to the camping after we almost found ourselves in Jordan. (the border is so close) We had barbecue (i ate some pita with salad and hummus) and sat around. Sh. was playing the guitar and I was trying to sing hebrew songs :) It was fun. Later we sat with a good friend of Sh, who lives in the North of Israel with his family. We didn´t recognized that time flew by and went to sleep at 2 o´clock...

We woke up at 5.45 on the sound of the rain outside and everybody tried to escape the pouring... we managed not to get too wet and after herb tea and a banana headed to the cars.

The Sea of Galilee didn´t looked so inviting at first... Sh. even thought that the swim might not take place. He said it is the first time since he experience the crossing on a rainy day (and he does it every year since almost 20 years).

We drove to the meeting point were all the swimmers were picked up by buses and brought to the starting point of the swim... it was such a great atmosphere, all the swimmers standing in line and heading to the big event :) everything was well organized: the buses came very fast and we found ourselves in the middle of it. It all became to be exciting and I felt like we all belong together somehow.

on the bus prepared for the big swim

walking to the starting point

We prepared ourselves and the boogie - which was Sh´s idea. he wanted that I can take a break whenever I want and he said he would swim with it attached to his legs all the way - later it turned out that we didn´t need it but the boys had fun. He glued our guard, the little yellow rubber duck on top of it and tied a small plastic bag with 4 dates to it(other people took chocolate or peanut flops tied to their speedos :))

I had no idea what to expect and how I will react to the open water, so I was really excited and happy to start. But we had to take a picture before at the entrance to the water:

We started to swim in the rain, I couldn´t see anything but it was fun. I wanted to warm up, so I started in breast stroke and after 2 minutes we met a friend, who used to be in Sh´s group. He was swimming with fins and pulling a huge inflatable boat with his kids all the way to the end...

We swam the entire 3.5 kms with a good friend of Sh., who used to be a swimmer too. The boys were so cute - always checking if I am there... I started to feel very good in the water and had so much fun in the rain. I switched to freestyle more and more and I enjoyed to practice the sighting method I learned before in theory. I slowly get into the flow and didn´t wanted to stop. After an hour I felt that my goggles were pushing too much so we stopped and our friend gave me his and he swim with mine - these goggles were amazing! I must buy them one day! So we continued... at one point E. told me that we must stop and I have to climb on one of the floating stations to see the entire course. So we did and the view was spectacular. Imagine thousands of swimmers swimming in the open water from one direction to the other in the middle of the lake. It was unforgettable! :) We ate the dates and headed to the end, which was not so far anymore - but actually I didn´t have a feeling for where we exactly are in the course until the very end... the only thing which started to hurt were my fingers since I swam mostly freestyle and i forgot to bend them. So I switched to breast stroke at the very end. Sh. said he can see the bottom of the lake and E. brought up some mud :) We saw the finish and all the people standing, cheering and watching. The sun was shining, but there was a little wind and as we got out of the water after 2 hours and 10 minutes of swimming it was quiet chilly for us. We got a bun, cocoa milk (not for me) and a medal, took some pictures (not with my camera) and went to pick up our stuff. I was very thirsty but filled with euphoria :)

we did it!

We went to take showers, said good bye to everyone from our group and went to the car. Happy and full with great memories we headed home. On the way we stopped to eat at a pasta place and as we parked the car another car stopped next to us and it was E., our friend , who swam with us and his brothers, so we spent the lunch together and had tons of fun! On the way home I was quite cranky and went to sleep as we got home.

The bottom line is that for sure it was not my last open water swimming! I enjoyed it so much and there was no anxiety at all. I think it was because of Sh. and E. that they were so much checking on me all the time, so that I could swim free as a fish! :) I started swimming only 7 months ago and with practicing and patience I became a a huge fan of it...

About twenty minutes in to the swim I thought about triathlons and other opportunities which are waiting for me now :) we will see, but for sure we want to swim the next Crossing of the Balaton in Hungary - what a "coincidence" it is exactly on the same week that we wanted to visit my family next summer! And till then I love my trainings in the week, which are perfect cross training in our marathon trainings plan.

ready?!

2011-09-23T13:57:00.005+03:00

a new dress and a neon cap that Sh. can see me from everywhere

Tomorrow is the big day. Only 7 months ago I started to swim regularly...

I was one of these people who loved to be in the water but preferred to take it easy and swim only in breaststroke since i couldn´t really breath during freestyle.

Sh. told me that he really wants me to come with him to swim the Crossing of the Sea of Galilee this year in October since I singed him up to run with me the 10k inTel Aviv in April... so I started to swim in a group of nice old people, who were better than me in the beginning... but slowly I began to learn the correct form and started to get the feeling for the breathing technique and the styles. It took a lot of patience and practicing - it didn´t happen overnight but I had lot of these amazing moments, where I felt that I am starting to have fun...

A months ago I switched to the better group and I feel more and more confident about myself in the water. We have a new trainer since a few weeks and she let´s us swim a lot, lots of sprints, and also long distances without stopping, but I love these challenges... and it is such an amazing feeling what i could achieve in these few months.

Can´t wait to be there tomorrow morning and have fun during these kilometers - together with my crazy motivator and best friend, who couldn´t be more prepared: he wants to take a boogie with himself, connected to his legs all the 3.5 kms and a little rubber duck floating after him :) that whenever I´ll feel tired I can stop and rest... isn´t he amazing?!

I hope that the Sea of Galilee (aka. Kinnereth) will witness another sporty event in my/our life in January - we just started to train for our first marathon which will take place also in this amazing surrounding.

update to the goals of 2011

2011-09-12T15:46:00.006+03:00

11 for 2011 - i wrote in january, let's see where I stand now in september...

1. Smile! (=Shine!)
I am.

2. Start an organic garden on our rooftop. (first start a compost bin)
Check. I grew cherry tomatoes, a lot of lettuce, baby leaves, arugula (rucola), sunflowers, tons of differents spices and herbs, carrots, beets (still growing) but still no compost bin in sight. I am trying to convince Sh. that we buy one but he still thinks it isn't worth it... even that we have 70% organic garbage and it would totally make sense!

3. Pray regularly.

Not enough. But praying in new situations like running and on the bus...

4. Sleep more (try to go to bed before 23 if possible).
I definitely made some progress here! We are almost always in bed around 11 p.m., only not on days when Sh. comes home late from swimming... but since I wake up every morning early for sports it really makes it so much easier! I used to think I am a night owl, but working 9 hours and doing a lots of sports, I really need good sleep...

5. Go for a morning run every other day. (1st goal is to run the 10k in april with Sh.)
I almost finished the half- marathon plan and was running 4 times a week. In 2 weeks I am starting the marathon training, which means running 5 times a week. I am swimming 3 times a week, which is really challenging! We have a new trainer since 2 weeks and 3 weeks ago I switched to the better group, so after every session I am amazed how I could finish - it is really hard - we almost only swim freestyle (I couldn't swim freestyle at all as I joined the group) and I am dead after the training... but happy! :) In two weeks we are swimming the open water 3.5 km crossing of the Sea of Galilea, so I am better be trained... :)

6. Eat 80% whole foods. (stick to the guidlines).
Check! :)

7. Drink a lot.
Check. I am drinking much more than I used to - plain water and green tea. Almost no coffee at all. I start almost every morning with a green smoothie - Sh. is hooked too...

8. Less facebook and bullsh*t time on the web more time with my husband.
Hm... that's a hard point...still... I am spending too much time on the web at home... I turn off the computer when I finished and that is already great since I am most likely not turning it on so easy and think twice before...but I feel it is still too much...

9. Take an advanced hebrew course and by the end of the year read a (it can be short, but not children´s) book in hebrew.

I am taking an advanced hebrew course and we were even ready new paper articles and children stories...but I still prefer to read in english, hungarian or german...we will see if I can accomplish this goal til the end of 2011...

10. Keep calm and rest enough.
Definitely on the weekends...The weekdays are hard...

11. Go on with the saving like in 2010 in order to have our own place for a family.

We did continue to save the same amount monthly (or even more) than before but there is still no home in sight - in Israel real estate prices are still skyrocketing... :( so we have to wait...

things that make me happy lately

2011-09-08T08:51:00.023+03:00

Our blog juli&johi was chosen by the Goldenblog jury to the 3 best photography blogs in Hungary in 2011. Tonight is the award ceremony! :)

my new haircut - it is the shortest i've ever had, but i love it!

this apartment from kavka

This bag from kanken fjallraven

This picture by Cassandra Allen

I want to put endless white frames with pretty art on the wall - from here

everything which has a spot of neon color - like this necklace from svpply

Sh. wants to have this for our future child

The best music to run to this week: I Blame Coco - pic from here

The best music to work to this week : James Blake - from here

All my life i wanted glasses, but my eyes are too good ;) i love this ones

everything from LemLem from shoes to scarves - they are amazing!

this fall i really want to have a pair of oxfords! not necessary with glitter :)

Hummus!!! I love it as much as Tula our cat loves it! from Melanie

just swim - only 2 more weeks til the big swim - image via fffound

a good book by Murakami

my morning runs

addicted...

2011-08-30T18:20:00.002+03:00

...to pinterest. You can check my boards here. So much fun and ideas!

music of the day

2011-08-30T14:56:00.003+03:00

I just discovered this amazing swedish sister duo called First Aid Kit. You must check out there youtube channel and let yourself be washed away by their amazing songs...

what I love about Israel...

2011-08-16T17:00:00.008+03:00

Jerusalem - photo from here

1. Beautiful land, beautiful people.

2. Perfect mix of incredible nature: green forests, mountains, sea, desert, and lovely cities.

3. 3 different Seas: The Mediterranean, the Dead Sea (the lowest place on Earth) and the Red Sea

4. Tel Aviv is so cool that it hurts

5. 8 months of Summer - and even when if it is winter it is about 20 degress with a chance of some rain

6. Lot of historical stones, special places on every corner

7. The best food ever- so many local fresh fruits and vegetables around the year and not to forget falafel, tehina (tahini) and halva

8. The anything is possible attitude - entrepreneur spirit.

9. People are very talkative - on the bus, in the waiting line (more on that in the do not like section), on the phone etc.

10. The atmosphere before the Shabbat begins on Friday afternoon

\ a few minuses:

1. People are often too pushy

1.b. There is no such thing as standing in lines: Israelis simply don't know what it means to wait in a line. People just push themselves in front of you with the excuse: "I only have a question" or simply ask you to hold their place til they go out to get an ice, newspaper whatever... the worst places are banks, and post offices.

2. The very hidden present thought of there can happen something bad

3. People are very talkative and always have an opinion, which they mostly share with you and others (often too loud)

4. The public transportation is terrible (in compare to Europe)

5. That hebrew is so hard to read... but I am trying and getting there :)

That's it for now... I really love to live here- soon it will be 2 years ago that we moved back to Sh.'s land - and we are very thankful for this place called home.

Come to visit us and make your own picture of this amazing and fascinating land! (Don't believe only the pictures what the news show)

the sweetest blog ever...

2011-08-11T21:21:00.004+03:00

this is the cutest blog ever - My Milk Toof by Inhae Lee

The Story:
When I was young, I placed my baby teeth under my pillow and when i woke up I'd find a shiny new quarter. But whatever happened to those little teeth? Where did they go? Would I ever see them again?

Many years later, a little tooth was standing at my door. It looked familiar. Its name was ickle. Welcome home, my milk toof!

what we wore week

2011-08-10T22:08:00.002+03:00

check out our julijohi blog - this week we are posting what we wore photos!

hello there!

2011-08-08T23:17:00.003+03:00

Hey my lovely readers,
check out the about me page to let me know a lil better... happy to hear from you - where you are from and what you are doing... let me know, I am really curious!

pictures of a beautiful day

2011-08-08T15:53:00.009+03:00

Here are the long waited pictures of the best day of our holiday with Julie and P. in Budapest - we cruised the whole city (about 30 kms) on bikes from their home to the top of the city - where we relaxed on the Danube-shore with belgian cherry bear and fresh lemonade - drove back through Buda and visited their future home which is in an amazing 100 years old building. The way back home lead us through the most beautiful streets and places of Pest... I wish we could do this every weekend!

biking in Budapest

she is the best

beautiful bike for sale

relaxing at the Danube

belgian cherry beer!!!

my favorite couple ever

love of my life

in their amazingly beautiful new (future) home

songs of today

2011-08-08T14:35:00.002+03:00

Check out this song - it made my day! And my favorite new discovered artist of today is Lucy Schwartz - she is amazing!!!

Blog Love

2011-08-02T12:27:00.004+03:00

image from pinterest

My favorite blogs:

Enjoying the small things

The many shades of Violet

What Katie ate

Zenhabits

about me

2011-08-02T11:18:00.009+03:00

I am a hungarian girl with a happy heart

living in Israel

with a lovely husband

and Tula, our neurotic but cute cat

love to read - books, blogs, magazines, packages, everything...

working as a designer. love to be inspired.

day dreamer.

(most of the days) I feel very blessed and thankful.

could live on salad, sweet potatoes and tehina.

and smoothies

I could spend all my days on our balcony...

enjoying the sun (only on days when it is not too hot)

gardening ...

watching my flowers grow...

spending quality time with Tula after my morning runs

stretching

love to run - currently training for my first half marathon

live to love - love to live

hot!!!!

2011-07-30T12:49:00.005+03:00

summer is very hot in Israel... this weekend´s temperatures are only bearable with treats like this banana popsickle, watermelon, smoothies, mint limonade with crushed ice, fresh salads and banana soft serve... hope you are enjoying the warm season as well! check out our photoblog here. Have a great weekend!

home decor

2011-07-25T13:14:00.003+03:00

...if I could choose one bedding set it would be definitely this one from Daisy Copenhagen! So joyfull!!! via decor8

short hair

2011-07-20T22:39:00.003+03:00

before

after

more picture of our holiday to come... til then check out our julijohi blog...

back

2011-07-19T15:04:00.004+03:00

chilling on the Danube shore in Budapest with Juli P. and Sh.

back in Israel from a too short but sunny, warm vacation full of love of friends and family in Hungary. Going to share some more pictures soon...

I am coming home...

2011-07-07T23:15:00.003+03:00

tell Hungary I am coming home :)
10 days full of wedding (preparations), family, friends, summer and relaxing! We are flying tomorrow morning... can´t wait to see you all!

power song of the day

2011-07-06T12:53:00.001+03:00

Book Review: The China Study

2011-07-05T13:37:00.004+03:00

I just finished The China Study a few weeks ago and I can say it is already one of my favorite books on nutrition. Dr. T. Colin Campbell writes in a clear language. The lot of scientific research he did is clearly explained and interesting, it doesn't get dry thru the whole book. He cites studies for every possible topic and backs his ideas up with solid research.

The China Sytudy is a great summary of all the research why a plantbased diet is the best prevention and cure for the diseases of the western cultures. The book is not only about the China Study, which was a huge epidemiologic study of people in rural China, which compared to the studies made in western countries brought clear result on the benefits of a mainly plant based nutrition.

The book is a must for everybody who is sceptical about eating a plantbased diet, who is interested in nutrition, or want to learn about prevention of western diseases, like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, auto-immune disorders and obesity. He recommends the the exact same nutrition advice for all of them. Because eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help almost every chronic disease!

Dr. Campbell is not judgmental, but clear with his arguments.
I highly recommend this book for everyone! I can't wait that it will be translated in to hungarian and I can give it to my family (we are going to by it in hebrew) ...

favorite blogs

2011-07-05T10:20:00.009+03:00

Hey Friends,
it's been a while since I had time to write here... busy days latley. Lots of work, great White Night party in Tel Aviv with friends, busy weekend, friends and family. No time to go to the beach -even though it is so hot that I really should! Check out our julijohi blog for pictures.
I also try not to open the computer on saturdays and rest. Two weeks ago during swimming training, I felt a sudden pain in my back and it is still there after this time, so I went tro see an orthoped yesterday and has to rest from all the sports... it is hard.

But this weekend we are flying home to Hungary to my family, to celebrate my brother's wedding and to meet friends and I can't wait! I hope I will be fine to run around the lake in my home town in the mornings.

Even though I didn't write here I am reading lots of blogs and love to be part of it! :)

I thought I share with you my current favorite blogs with you.

Marvelous Kiddo
I am a fan since years, I learned so much thru the birth stories. If you still don't know Leigh's blog you must check it, since she is hosting this summer the most amazing contest with beautiful blogger moms The Sakura Bloom Stylathlon.

Gregarious Peach
Beautifully written, a blog full of family life and love. Can't watch her family videos and the gorgeus photos too much! Georgia is such an inspiration!

Live & Enliven
Just discovered Ana's blog a few days ago. I could spend days there ... it is such a beautiful place to be! Love her music mix and sense of style!

Made
This is the place to collect cute sewing ideas! Can't wait to get my birthday present - which is a sewing machine! It will such a great investment for our future kids and us :) i think I will be like my mom who used to make stuff for us from the Burda magazines. (I just checked the july edition at the bookstore and they really have so many nice designs)

My new roots
My new favorite place for recipe inspiration after Oh She Glows. Sarah's amazing ideas don't stop at convencional vegan recipes but took me to the world of cool raw yumminess like the Raw brownies, and this gorgeous looking Raw Cashew Cheescake - boths tested by me, friends and family and disapeared within an hour! And how cool is the raw taco fiesta? (it is on my list)

Have fun with all these great blogs! Which are you current favorites?

weekend vacation

2011-06-24T00:25:00.003+03:00

Hey my lovelies,
after a very long working week with lots of overtime, we are leaving tomorrow morning for a long family weekend in the north of Israel.
Have a sunny weekend!

today...

2011-06-15T09:53:00.003+03:00

... I wish to celebrate my birthday together with all of you my friends from all over the world ...

my favorite month ...

2011-06-13T22:29:00.017+03:00

... is definitely June! Why?

smoothies every day

the fridge is full with fresh produce

family afternoon naps on the sofa

it is time to go to the beach more often

I am going to have a birthday party

There are flowers everywhere

the food tastes so good

evening bike trips to the beach and back home

on some days it is just too hot - we just stay in, relax, read and sketch

watermelon for breakfast

running in new shoes

What are you plans for June? Which is your favorite month of the year?

organic rooftop garden progress

2011-06-13T21:44:00.008+03:00

Good morning roof top!

sunflower babies

future flowers

sunflowers

some left over cherry tomatoes on this branch

spices and herbs - there is place for more

Tula - the queen of the house

bubbles

Salad with tofu and sweet potato - spices and tomatoes from the garden

Fresh couscous - cherry tomatoes and herbs from the garden

Mission completed!

and our story continues...

my sport motivation

2011-06-05T12:26:00.009+03:00

1. the feeling after - it is always better then before...
2. me and the road - nothing else.
3. good shoes - i'm in love with these
4. put on my baseball cap gives me the feeling of being protected and sporty on the road
5. good playlist on my ipod
6. the couple that works out together ... there's nothing like doing sports with my hubby
7. fitness on my balcony with 100 workout - no excuses!
8. posting training results online
9. good food is my fuel
10. the rewards after: shower, green smoothie, fruit salad, or just relaxing on the couch...
11. success stories from others like these
12. friends, who run all around the world
13. no music - only the sound of my breathing and the tact of my feet
14. sign up for the next race
15. the water that surrounds me during swimming
16. a new running route
17. books on running like this one
18. the fact that i get faster, stronger and leaner...
19. spend time with God

20. my husband loves, adores and respects me for my endurance :)

... and if all these doesn't help, I read this list to get in the mood...

birthday wishlist

2011-05-26T11:22:00.023+03:00

My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I think now it is the best time to share my endless wish list of books with you. Don't get scared it is really endless...

Kim Lutz & Megan Hart: Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes
Give me these delicious recipes!!!

Shauna Niequist: Bittersweet
A good friend from Germany told me about Shauna's blog - I love it!

Brendan Braizer: Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life
The same here - I love Brendan's website and the vega newsletter

Nicole Krauss: Great House
One of my favorite books ever is from Nicole Krauss (The History of Love) - I must read this one too!

Sara Gruen: Water for Elephants
I heard this is amazing!

Mina Samuels: Run like a girl - How strong woman make happy lives
There is no such thing as too much motivation

Ryan Hall: Running with Joy: My Daily Journey to the Marathon
Love Ryan's testimony and he is one of the best runners in the world...

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion
Never enough from good vegan cookbooks...

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: Color me vegan

David McCandless: The Visual Miscellaneum: A Colorful Guide to the World's Most Consequential Trivia
One of the coolest books I've ever seen (we have it in the studio) I love it!

Todd Selby: The Selby Is in Your Place
The Selby is one of the coolest webpages ever!!! Cool people show there homes...

Matthew Scully: Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy

Heidi Swanson: Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
My favorite recipe blog is from Heidi.

Holly Roberts: Your Vegetarian Pregnancy : A Month-by-Month Guide to Health and Nutrition
It's never too early to get ready for this big journey... The same with the next one:

Jean Liedloff: The continuum Concept

And for sure any other book - since I am in love with books... :)

Weekly Green Idea 2: Bodylotion and much more

2011-05-24T12:34:00.004+03:00

Nothing can beat the magical Shea butter! I use it as body lotion, for my face and as pomade for my (short) hair, it is perfect for the lips and it is the nicest massage oil.... it is a perfect all-arounder for the skin.

Unrefined Shea Butter is naturally rich in Vitamin A, E, & F. Vitamin A & E - Balances and normalizes the skin. Helps keep it clear and healthy. Vitamin F - acts as a skin protector and revitalizer. It soothes rough, dry or chapped skin on contact and helps soften and revitalize dry or damaged hair. Pure shea butter evens skin tone & returns luster to skin & hair. It absorbs quickly without leaving greasy residue and leaves the skin soft. It is the best moisturizer for heat-treated hair. (If you blowdry or straighten your hair like me)

Try to find 100% clean Shea Butter without any perfume or added fragrances. It might appear hard in the package but at room temperature it becomes smooth and rubbing between your palms will make it like oil and easy to apply. Must try for everyone who wants to have babyskin!

shoes

2011-05-19T15:04:00.010+03:00

Actually I am not a highheel girl, but I am dying for theese pair of TOMS. Aren't they beautiful? The perfect summer color for me.

I just heard from a friend that there supposed to be a shop at the Tel Aviv Port which sells TOMS, I really want to go on the weekend maybe to find an early birthday present... I also love this ones:

and this Soludos... pity that you can't buy it outside the US.

And if I am already talking about shoes... Tomorrow morning we are going to the Brooks store to try the Green Silence -wich is on my wishlist for a long time...

Not only that each and every part of this shoe has a sustainable element (including soy-based inks and recycled materials) but it is one of the most recommended minimal shoes. And since reading Born to run and a lot about stride and running style, I knew I only want to buy minimal shoes. My current shoes are only a little bit more cushioned and has a lil more support so I really hope I will like the Green Silence and feel good in them, so we can buy them... next week the half marathon training begins! :)

50 reasons not to date a graphic designer

2011-05-12T09:27:00.000+03:00

1. They are very weird people.
2. There are billions of them in the world, like colors on the screen of your computer.
3. They will analyse conversations in layers.
4. You will spend the day assembling furniture from IKEA.
5. They drink and eat all kinds of weird shit just because they like the packaging.
6. They hate each other.
7. You’ll come out the last out of the movies because you have to see the full list of credits.
8. They cant change a light bulb or without making a sketch.
9. They fuck up all the tables with their cutters.
10. They rather study the paisley pattern on your outfit than listen to what you have to say.
11. They will fill your house with magazines and whatever is out there that has drawings.
12. You never know if it is really an original or a copy.
13. They make collages with your photos.
14. They do not know how to add and subtract, they just understand letters.
15. They idolize people who nobody knows and speak of them as if they were his colleagues.
16. They take pictures almost daily and all are cut in weird shapes.
17. They ask your opinion about everything but they do whatever they want.
18. Everything is left justified, right or center unless they arrive late.
19. They hate Comic Sans with the same passion they love Helvetica.
20. They use iPhone for everything, because everyone has one.
21. You can not decorate the house without consulting them.
22. They steal street signs.
23. Always carry their hands painted with something.
24. They buy dolls unfinished for them to paint.
25. Everything becomes something other than what it really is: cards as tickets, cards as …
26. When arguing, you will be nicknamed like the OSX spinning wheel (not affectionately)
27. Do not know how to dress without consulting the Pantone book.
28. They hate Excel.
29. They read comics.
30. They want to save the world only with a poster.
31. You will spend the day brainstorming.
32. On vacation they will take you to countries that you do not know exist and have no beach.
33. Museums are their second home.
34. They know more positions than the Kamasutra.
35. They can’t go to a restaurant without secretly critiquing the menu design.
36. They listen to music you have never heard of.
37. They can´t cook a normal dish, they always have to experiment with new ingredients.
38. They read rare books: stories of children, Semiotics …
39. When you are going to tell you something, everyone has read it in their facebook and twitter.
40. They have own iPods before you knew they existed.
41. The orgasm they remember is when they heard that Adobe was acquiring Macromedia.
42. They have their own shops just for them and there are the most expensive in the city.
43. They want to spend all the money in the Apple Store.
44. You will never understand their gifts.
45. They see ordinary objects and laugh.
46. You wake up in the middle of the night hearim them screaming “When is the deadline?”
47. They see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees the Matrix.
48. They dream of the day nobody will make a single change to their designs.
49. They rather pay for a font than for a special birthday gift.
50. They are always sleepy because they work 24/7.

SkinBotanica giveaway

2011-05-11T12:09:00.010+03:00

I was jumping from joy as Gabby from GypsyDiaries told me that I won the Aphotica giveaway on her blog. I was even more happy to see tha Apothica has a complete site (SkinBotanica) of green and clean cosmetics. Since I try to use only products without harmful chemicals this came very handy.

The only minus point was that they don't ship to Israel, nor to Hungary. So at the end I gave the adress of a freind of mine in Germany and she will have to forward the package to me to Israel or Hungary. My order supposed to arrive at her place in the next days...

I wanted to share with you which products I chose:

1. Deep Steep Liquid Handwash - Lavender Chamomile
I was looking for an affordable and savy handwash for home. I normally use soapbars but I loved the bootle, which will be great to refill after we used the handwash.

2. Pangea Organics Bar Soap - Pyrenees Lavender with Damiana Tea
3. Pangea Organics Bar Soap - Tunisian Olive Oil and Coconut

Since the first time I saw the Pangea products I knew I want to try them (see this post). I fell in love with the packaging at firs sight... I can't wait to get them.

4. Janson Beckett Certified Organic Cleansing Milk

Don't think that I am only buying cosmetics because of the packaging but for a long time I really wanted to have this kind of brown glass bottles to have for refill.. For sure the cleansing milk will be great :)

5. 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream

Since I can remember I am looking for the perfect cream to remove the dark circles under my eyes... it is getting better thru my plantbased diet but I am not there yet...according to the reviews it has incredible effects... i hope so :)

6. Logona Cream Shampoo - Bamboo
A great shampoo without SLS and all natural ingredients...can't wait to try it...

Thanks Gabby for this great gift!!!

Weekly Green Idea 1: My favorite deodorant

2011-05-10T13:11:00.006+03:00

This post will change your life.

Did you know that one of the biggest sources of toxins in most people’s bodies comes from the stuff they put on their skin? Especially loaded with bad chemicals are deodorants and antiperspirants. Aluminum, triclosan, propylene glycol and more… sure, but nobody wants to be smelly...

Do you want super cheap, clean and easy deodorant? You won´t belive, but most likely you probably already have this stuff at home... It turns out, that baking soda works perfectly as a deodorant.

No need to reapply during the day -it lasts very long. It really works, better than some clean deodorants I’ve tried. It cost nothing, you can save all the plastic packaging, and it is clean enough to eat. I keep my powder in an plastic jar and apply it with a big make up brush. The best time to apply is in the morning directly after shower (before getting dressed) and it lasts the whole day.

One footnote: if you used antiperspirants or deodorants with aluminium etc. for a long time, it might take your body a few days to detox. It is different for everyone, but you might experience strange odor, rushes or the feeling that the deo dosn´t work at all...This is the way your body gets rid off all the toxins, so don´t give up, it will work soon and you will never look back!

Weekly Green Idea

2011-05-08T11:14:00.006+03:00

Hello,
I was thinking to start a new series of weekly cheap, simple ideas which make my life greener...

These are things I am trying to incorportae in my daily routine and they made a positive ecological effect for us. Let me know if you like this new series!

Planned topics:

1. My favorite deodorant
2. Washing dishes
3. Bodylotion
4. Soap and Shampoo
5. Cleaning around the house
6. Life without teflon
7. Eat plantbased and local
8. Doing Laundry
9. Composting and recycling
10. Eco shopping
11. Gardening
12. Clothes and shoes
13. Travelling
14. Do It Yourself!
15. Stay Tuned!

surprise visit @home

2011-05-04T21:17:00.003+03:00

Last weekend i surprised my family with a last minute visit for my little sister´s high school graduation... Other than my dad nobody knew about it... it was an unforgettable moment as my mom realized that I am the surprise my dad brought home for mother´s day... he said he has to bring in some present from the car and than I arrived...

this is the video filmed by my brother:

Later on my youngest brother and sister arrived and my mom told them to close their eyes:
I love their facial expressions -it takes them some moments to realize:

My brother said that he thought the surprise was that I am expecting a baby. :)

We had a beautiful Saturday filled with laughter and happy tears at the ceremony and at the family lunch. Later we hopped to Köszeg for a short city tour with friends and family. The weekend could have not been more perfect!

More pictures on my facebook page...

running/ swimming goals for 2011

2011-04-18T09:30:00.010+03:00

image from pinterest -btw one of the best places to get inspiration! be aware it is addictive!

Today is the Boston Marathon. The creme del a creme of the running world is there... wow! I am fascinated by theese people who have the strength to qualify (in my age group - 18-34- it would be 3hrs 10min for man and 3hrs 40min for women)... I planned out my next months of trainings and races. I am very excited to start to fight for theese new goals!

april: 4 week training for speed
may: half marathon training begins 10k - Beit Dagan
june: hm training
july: hm training
aug: hm training
sept: hm training
Nike Night Run - Tel Aviv
oct: marathon training begins
Crossing of the Sea of Galilea -1,5 or 3km swimming (I will decide later)
nov: marathon training
dec:marathon training
Beit Shemesh half marathon
jan: marathon training
Tiberias marathon (?) I will see if I will be/feel ready dor the big race...
feb: new marathon training
mar:mt
apr: mt
TLV marathon

If my swimming training continues so good... maybe I will sign up for a sprint triathlon at the end of the summer... I started to enjoy swimming stroke too! :) That's it for now! Dream big!

C.S. Lewis quotes

2011-04-17T13:36:00.003+03:00

This man said so many inspiring things that I will collect a few of them here for you:

---

If one could run without getting tired I don't think one would often want to do anything else.

---

You don't have a soul.

You are a soul.

You have a body.

---

Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours

---

We are what we believe we are.

---

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

great d.i.y. idea

2011-04-13T14:03:00.002+03:00

I just saw this cute top at Zadige&Voltaire store and I thought it is a great idea to share with you. Why not to do it yourself? You only need an (oversized) top and a cute ribbon?

10k race recap

2011-04-10T07:19:00.017+03:00

“When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or how fast, it will change your life forever.”

So here we are after my first race ever! I finished the 10km urban run race in Tel Aviv in 56min 44sec. I was the 625th from 1658 runners in my group and 47th of all the 217 women running in my group! :) Here is the whole story:

Pre race:

it was not the most lucky thing that the evening before the race we were invite to a wedding... On thursday I realised that it will be very hard and started to get nervous at work. But then excitment came and finally I could leave. On the way back home i bought some halva and dates for after the race and headed home to get ready for the wedding. I put on my dress, silver toms and some red lipsticks and felt amazing :) The wedding was nice - especcially to see some cousins. The music was terrible - we danced for 10 minutes. But I was very happy about the food: the starters/ antipasti was great: hummus with mushrooms, sweetpotato spread, salads, fresh bread, couscous all kind of nice stuff. There were two main courses served at the table with meat (way too much) and I was the only vegetarian at our table. I got tortellinis with potato filling and spinach pesto -which was really tasty and nutritious. (Perfect pre race food) The second main dish for me were mini spring rolls but I couldn't eat more... so I was only munching on some salad and that's it. Time was flying by and first time i looked at the time it was after eleven... I told to Sh. that we should really leave - so we missed all the tasty non diary desserts, but I was full anyway... Everytime we go out or to an event I am amazed how easy it is to eat out as a vegan in israel. Since most of the places are kosher, if we go to a restaurant (or event) which serves meat, I can be sure that everything I eat (which is not meat) will be without any milk products and also the desserts... stuff like ice cream, fresh fruits, chocolate mousse, all kind of cakes and tiramisu (all vegan) :)

After getting home and a quick shower I just jumped into bed and fall asleep very easy. All my stuff was prepaired the night before...

The Morning:

we woke up at 5:15 and everything went after plan, I had a small power breakfast (wholegrain musli, ricemilk, dates, tea), put the chips on the shoes and at 6:15 we left to Tel Aviv.

The parking we choose ahead was blocked, but we could find a place not so far ahead and we walked about 2 kms to the starting line...

it was like to be in some apocaliptic movie - all the people heading to the same direction on empty streets :) the good vibe started there already... we warmed up and soon we could enter the starting area. We headed to the 00:55 pacer and soon at 7:45 the race was starting for us.

The Race:

It took us a few hundred meters to find our pace. We started strong but not rushing ahead, still running with a good pace (faster than in my trainings ever). The first 3 kilometers flew by we enjoyed the runners flow. At km 3.5 I started to be thirsty and soon at the turning point (4km) we had the first water station. I threw half of the bottle on my face and drank 2 zips and continued... An uphill was coming up and we run next to an older man who told me: Great we are already at the half! Which was a great encouragement. This was the way back and I saw two couples running and holding a rope together and understood that one of them is blind. I was almost crying...I think this is amazing!!! We continued and pushed ourselves strong in the same pace, next waterstation and we were already after km 7... I felt that we run good, but my only goal was to finish under 1 hour... as we turned down to the street on the beach where the half marathoners were running in the lane next to us, I looked et my watch and it said 50 min. I couldn't be happier! I knew we have 1.5 kms left and even if we walk we will make it under an hour! :) There my belly started to play a rollercoaster, a smelly guy was pushing himself infront of me and I felt if i start to sprint I will throw up... Shlomi wanted to cheer me to push the end but I just continued in the same pace and we run the last few hundred meters to the finish line.

I forgot to push my watch so I didnt have the final time I knew it must be 56 or 57 minutes and I was so happy! I was busy clapping my hands above my head and later grabbing some water...

the best finish line photo ever :)- but at least you can spot Shlomi in the blue shirt and my clapping hands

We got our medal and stretched on the sidewalk. After that we walked back to the car in kind of runner high - at least me :) Shlomi had some blisters on his foot, I felt like flying (That´s where the first picture was taken)

before & after

proud 10k finisher

We ate some banana, dates and halva and drove home. After a great brunch Shlomi went to sleep and I went to ikea to buy some presents, i got an sms that i run 56:44... I was floating ... I even beat Shlomi with 1 sec :) hahaha :)

This is definitely the beginning of a beautiful friendship between me and running (racing) :) I am very thankful for all of my friends who was thinking on us and you should know it really pushed me forward! Thanks!!! I feel so blessed that I can run!

new challanges

2011-03-28T14:23:00.005+02:00

image from here

Yesterday evening was my first swimming training in a group. Oh my, was it hard! All my upper body hurts... I went out for a fast 6km run in the morning and came to work a lil tired, but all that disapeared after swimming... now my triceps hurts like...

My husband made a deal with me that if i made him sign up for the 10k i have to sign up for the crossing of the Sea of Galilee in september. He said it is 1.5km swimming, but there is a 3.5 km course too... I really don't know if I can do it... I've never been a swimmer and he's always been a swimmer (since the age of 8) ...since we are together he tries to persuade me to come to swimming training... yesterday I gave in... maybe one day we can do triathlons... I would still prefer duathlons...

This was a big thing for me to overcome myself and finally try the traing and learn to enjoy swimming! On thursday I will have my first Introduction to modern dance course! Can't wait.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Albert Einstein

organic rooftop garden progress

2011-03-27T14:01:00.005+02:00

Colors of spring

Yesterday afternoon was a perfect time for gardening... After we went for a late brunch at cafecafe we run into a small garden center and I bought some seeds. I planted some spinach and mangold and moved all the tomato plants in bigger pots and put some ties and stakes around the plants. I cleaned all the trees, aloe, cactuses from weed.

I moved the couch, cleaned everything, it looks amazing! I love living on the roof so much! :) Right now it looks like that we are going to stay here and build one more room which, will make the huge balcony smaller, but will allow us to stay here longer - even with a baby... I hope we will get all the papers done and start building this spring! So exciting!

the cherry babies are growing...

herbs garden and tomatoes

mint, more tomatoes and trees next to the sofa

more pictures follow tomorrow...

weight loss progress

2011-03-24T11:12:00.008+02:00

It's time to give a lil update about my weightloss journey!

It has been such an amazing process that turned my life uside down in a very good way. I have so much energy and don't suffer from Pms, Allergies and fatigue in the afternoon - just to mention a few of the positive effects of completely changing my lifestyle.

All in numbers:

I started last february with 78.9 kg (my highest weight ever -seems so impossible right now) and with sports and a balanced meal plan I reached my wedding weight (70 -which was my lawest adult weight til then) in the end of June 2010. As I started to eliminate white sugar of my diet, the pms completley disapeared and since that never came back :) This was the very first step to a healthier me.

In July I started with sporadic running next to my regular fitness routine and had a lots of fun. From december I've been running with a training plan 3-4 times a week. My first 10k race is next friday in Tel Aviv. Can't wait! I hope one day (in 2012) I will run my first marathon!

Last summer we started to drink at least one fresh smoothie a day. After my runs I try to prepaire a green smoothie for breakfast with all the great nutritients and enzymes. (f.e.: spinach, banana, chiaseeds, apple) I learned so much from other great vegan and helath bloggers about nutrition and a healthy wholefood diet and that's what I practice everyday. I am so motivated by the other and my own success... I lost the weight slowly and smart and I know more or less how my body works. It is amazing! I am so thankful!

Last september after reading J.S. Foer Eating Animals I went vegan - if you want to know why I changed to a plantbased diet here. I occasionally used to eat egg - I am not crazy about it and also use honey but no diary at all. This desision is something life changing - it effects so many areas of my life. I became much more grounded, balanced and healthy (no allergies) and lost all the extra kilos I wanted... and finally fit into the ck jeans I could never wear...

Last week I reached my big goal: I am 60kg now! I couldn't have imagine that it will come! I get so many compliments (especially from S.)

At last I want to share with you a few thoughts how to loose weight smart and sustianable:

The usual diets, that work are based on calorie- restriction and sport. That's how I started to loose weight too - and it really worked. But there are so many more aspects to put the body in order... clean water is an improtent part, sleep is another one. No processed sugar, white flour, and artificial sweeterens, additives and processed foods. Minimize diary and meat or only from organic produce. Daily sport activity - whatever is fun for you!

If you are interested in the topic of plantbased healthy lifestyle I recommend this two eye- opening books as basis: William Dufty: Sugar Blues and T Collin Campbell: The China Study other books I recommend in my becoming vegan post. My all time favorite book is from Alicia Silverstone: The Kind Diet - She is simply amazing, cute and very motivating!!! Her book helped me to become a helthy vegan.

For inspiration about running you must read Chris McDoughall: Born to run ( I am sad that I am finishing it -it is an amzing book!)

Don't belive everything the media says, dont trust fast and super diets, listen to you body, give it good nutritians, no junk, apreciate and love it! I am still learning...but I threw out my scale this weekend and I am size happy now! :)

Here is a list of my favorite health bloggers and big inspirations:

Oh She Glows - Angela is amazing!

Chipmunk - Evi inspired me to start running and still does everytime I go out and run!

Whole Foods Vegan Momma - Mom of 4 kids vegan and super inspiring

Ecomilf - motherhood is beautiful and sustainable

101Cookbooks - the best health recipe source ever!

SkinnyRunner - funny and entertaining runner girl

The Runners Trip - very inspiring runners website from Sarah

love is in the air

2011-03-23T15:19:00.002+02:00

Papier Mache - XOXO from papier mache magazine on Vimeo.

Love again!

Our anniversary was perfect. I mean, it could have been even better if we don't have to work on that day and go to the beach or just sleep in, but the evening was lovely! Sh. picked me up and we drove to Orna&Ella, which is a cute homie restuarant at my favorite street in Tel aviv. We were walking down the street and there was a love in the air. I love spring! Unfortunatelly it is way too short here in Israel. Soon the summer starts and it will be hot.

I am soo in love. Yesterday I just watched our engagement session slideshow and couldn't hold back how fortunate I am! We both changed alot in the last 3 years, but our love only grew stronger...

want to have...

2011-03-14T14:10:00.004+02:00

Lolita Hand Painted Tiffin

Everyday I bring my own food from home - mostly all kind of veggies... I wish I would have this beautiful metal Tiffin instead of plastic tupperware... maybe one day.

love

2011-03-14T11:34:00.007+02:00

our first dance

2 years ago we had the best day in our lives!

It was amazing to share this happy day with (almost) all the friends and family we love. To bring together so many cultures, languages, amazing people... to celebrate til the morning. So many stories have been told from this day. All filled with happiness...

Today we celebrate our love and marriage -which is still something we can't fully realise... we grow to understand that we are one! It is amazing!

To get the mood, see our photos of the preparations, the ceremony and the party.

prayer

2011-03-14T11:25:00.003+02:00

It is hard to read news these days... I am praying for all the people in Japan and everybody working in the area for protection and safety... hope things will be solved soon...

i {heart} running

2011-03-10T15:49:00.005+02:00

I couldn't have imagined how much running will change me...and I am only at the beginning of my journey... I can't wait to develop and get out of my comfort zones on races. I know there is so much to discover about myself and others, for that running is an amazing way. Less than one month left until my very first race. I am an absolute rookie... this fact brings some advantages with itself, I have no pressure to beat personal records. It will be a record! :)

I know that I have to give myself time to learn and grow into it in 2011... and there are a lot of first-times and new challenges waiting for me on this road.

At the end of the summer I will have to overcome my greatest fear... I am afraid of bats as nothing else! I have a childhood trauma... I really hate to go in the evening on streets with palm trees full with bats. I just hate them!

I know it is time to face this fear and decided, to run at the Nike NightRun(20k) in Tel Aviv in September 2011. I can't wait. I have to prepair myself with a lot of evening runs, getting connected to my enemies... and get to love them (eeeeeh, right now it is unthinkabable for me) but I think it will be an amazing experience!

music

2011-03-06T13:49:00.008+02:00

You must know: Janelle Monae she is gorgeous!!! This song and video captured me.

These Artist are currently also running on my ipod:

Adele - 21
Edward Shape & the Magnetic Zeros
Florence and the Machine
Geva Alon
Josh Ritter
Lykke Li
Mt. Desolation
Sara Bareilles
SIA

Can't wait the new albums of...
Wye Oak (Civilian)
Keren Ann (101)

abc about me

2011-03-03T15:35:00.005+02:00

A. Age: 27 ... soon 28

B. Bed size: too small. We are planning to build a new king size bed (hey, we are both designers!) since a few months – I still don’t see it happening. (we definitely need one)

C. Chore you hate: Washing the dishes. Good that my husband doesn’t let me do it anyway, because he wants to save water and I'm using too much.

D. Dogs: My family has Negro, a cute Hungarian shepherd dog at home. My husband’s family had Bambi, a cute little mixed dog, who was already 15 years old and ran away 2 weeks ago- I still can’t belive it… very sad… we have Tula - our neurotic cat.

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast! I never leave the house without breakfast (Oatmeal, muesli, smoothies or fruitsalad)

F. Favorite color: Right now gray – emberglow combo.

G. Gold or silver: Silver.

H. Height: 166 cm.

I. Instruments you play: I used to play the piano and flute. And I used to own a bass guitar but never really learned to play it...

J. Job title: Graphic Designer

K. Kids: Definitely! Soon…

L. Live: and shine!

M. Mom’s name: Ágnes – my sister is named after her.

N. Nicknames: Johi

O. Overnight hospital stays: the last one was my knee op. at the age of 16…

P. Pet peeve (Thing that annoy me): Hm... smoking.

Q. Quote from a movie: Momma always said: Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you've gonna get.

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: 3 younger sisters, and 2 younger brothers.

T. Time you wake up: 6 during the week… as late as possible in the weekend.

U. Underwear: hotpants

V. Vegetables you dislike: Hm… can’t think on one. I don't dislike it but I can't eat peppers.

W. What makes you run late: lose track of time…

X. X-Rays you’ve had: feet, hand a few times, knees, teeth, and at the airport.

Y. Yummy food you make: (almost) everything: salads, shakes, soups, bread, cookies…

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: giraffe – my parents told me that as I was 3 we went to the zoo and saw how a baby giraffe was born…

Answer the question you like the most for yourself here in a comment!

running

2011-03-02T11:01:00.002+02:00

Today's training was hard. It was not part of my trainingsplan. But I told to myself I could do a long run in the morning too and I had no pressure to leave home early today. So I went out for 9 km run. I tried to push my speed, since I am too slow on my long runs. (I just started to track all my trainings online) and it was hard, but I could do it and speed up a lil (incompare to my weekend runs). The sun was shining strong and I this time I meet only one runner and a lot of walkers. It was not easy, but I am very happy I did it! Tomorrow is for intervals. (10X90sec with 90 sec calmdowns) ... and on friday an even longer run. It is a hard week. Anyway now after a green smoothie and my favorite musli with almond milk - it's all good!

Have a great (and sporty) day!

yaffo flea market flair

2011-02-25T20:11:00.011+02:00

Yaffo is beautiful

Today we went to Yaffo flea market and the organic market at the Ha Tahana in Tel Aviv with my friend Ro´. We had a very sunny and lovely day, experiencing a cool mixture of old, crazy, vintage, new, trendy, design stuff and cool people. We loved it!

Finally I brought you some pictures! Check out the picture of the day at juli&johi!

new blog design

2011-02-22T15:48:00.004+02:00

Hi friends.

I just fell in love with the Dr. Seuss quote… so I made it to the new message of my blog…
I wanted to change the design of the whole blog, but I see that the blogger template designer doesn’t work, right now…so I will be back with the completed new design tomorrow… sorry.

magazine love

2011-02-22T14:38:00.009+02:00

You must check out the Papier Mache Magazin,
if you are as much as in love with cute kiddos as I am.
I want a daughter! Now! :)

dreamshoes update

2011-02-19T15:34:00.006+02:00

My dream TOMS arrived with my friend from Germany.... They are the most comfortable shoes i ever had! i put them on an they were comfy, no pushing nothing. i ordered them on 50% sale. They had them only in size 41, and they are slightly big, but I had an unused pair of insoles, so with those they fit perfectly. So cool, shiny, comfy and very special!!! I am sure I will order more colors of these amazing shoes!

We are having the most cozy and sunny weekend with our friend. Thursday evening concert, big brunches at the balcony, family dinners, swimming, running, reading, good music, and soon we are biking to the beach... so sorry for being off... Hope you all have a great and relaxing weekend! kisses. (also from Tula - who btw is in love with our friend :P)

my favorite bath, body and face care products

2011-02-13T11:58:00.015+02:00

1. HURRAW! grapefruit lip balm
This smells so good! All ingredients all natural, organic, vegan and it has a beautiful texture, not sticky but very light and silky. I ordered 4 different kind for Christmas: vanilla (for Julie), coconut (for my husband), grapefruit and green tea for myself. Til now I am only using this one and I am completely in love with it! The price is great, they came in very cute small gift bags and HURRAW! Staff is the cutest ever! They answered all my Emails immediately and I even got a small hand-written ThankYou- Note in my package. :)

2. Kaipu Solid Perfume Cherry Blossom
Kaipu was an Israeli line of body products and perfumes, which describes itself as holistic, Fair-Trade-partnered and organic. Unfortunately it is past. As I bought this all natural perfume I learned that they went bankrupt and don´t sell any more products. :( This is very sad, since the line is full with amazing, clean products. I love this perfume! The smell combines the notes of spring flowers and sweet and sourish fruit... It is a combination of fresh, sweet, simple and spring-like. Perfect for this time of the year.
3. Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap Unscented baby Mild - one of my favorite soaps, long-lasting, unscented and very mild.

4. Lovlis Coconut Hydrating Shampoo - not perfect, since there is perfume inside, but still better than all the artificial ones...

5. L'Occitane Certified Organic Pure Shea Butter the best thing to have with me. It the ultimate weapon against dry hands, lips, skin or to form my hair.

6. Dr. Hauschka Rouge Powder Duo - this is my daily make up... with the HURRAW! lip balm. In Israel I don´t even wear mascara every day only when we go out.

7. Weleda Plant Gel toothpaste - this is the best fluoride-free toothpaste ever. I love all the other tastes from Weleda, but this give a really fresh and clean feeling.

I want to try:

Pangea Organics soaps and shampoos
Dermalogica environmental control deodorant
Kiss My Face Shampoos

peaceful moment

2011-02-12T19:52:00.003+02:00

Today´s most relaxing moment: reading (finishing) The Animal farm on the balcony with Tula - now I am up to the new Murakami book! (After dark)