Run Hard, Tri Harder

January Workouts

2012-01-20T12:18:00.000-06:00

January 1 - X Stretch - 57 min. I didn't wear my HR monitor for this workout. Mostly I just wanted to do something to start the new year off on a good note. The stretching felt good, although my lower back was SUPER tight when I finished.

January 2 - Treadmill Run. 33:41. 3.2 miles. Burned 369 calories. Avg HR 164. Max HR 184.
5 min @ 5.2 mph
5 min @ 5.7 mph
5 min @ 5.5 mph
4 min @ 6 mph
4 min @ 5.5 mph
3 min @ 6.3 mph
3 min @ 5.5 mph
2 min @ 6.7 mph
2 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 7.0 mph
I should have done a cooldown after this run, but I figured my cooldown could be my walk home and a strength training workout. However, my HR was too high and my strength training workout didn't go so great.
Super Body Sculpt. 14:29. Burned 130 calories. Avg HR 148. Max HR 159. 5, 8, 10, 15lb dumbbells.

January 3 - Jari Love Get Extremely Ripped 1000. 1:25:57. Burned 752 calories. Max HR 178. Avg HR 144. 5, 8, 10 lb dumbbells. This workout was tough today. My legs must be tired from my run yesterday. I'm hoping tomorrow's hill workout will go ok with tired legs.

January 4 - Treadmill Run. 41:13. Burned 487 calories. Avg HR 171. Max HR 184.
5 min @ 5.3 mph
5 min @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 5% incline @ 5.5 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph.
30 sec @ 6% incline @ 5.5 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph.
30 sec @ 7% incline @ 5.5 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph.
30 sec @ 6% incline @ 5.3 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.3 mph.
30 sec @ 7% incline @ 5.3 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.3 mph.
30 sec @ 8% incline @ 5.3 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.3 mph.
30 sec @ 7% incline @ 5.3 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.0 mph.
30 sec @ 8% incline @ 5.3 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.0 mph.
30 sec @ 9% incline @ 5.3 mph. 2:30 recovery @ 5.0 mph.
3 min @ 5.5 mph
The fitness room was blazing hot today so I think that's why my HR was SO elevated today. It was a great run and I even talked myself through the tough parts. I was going to do a strength training workout, but we have somewhere to be tonight. Oh and I think I'm catching Tim's cold. :(

January 5 - Body Sculpt. 51:31. Burned 428 calories. Avg HR 140. Max HR 168. 5,8,10,15 lb dumbbells. I talked Tim into working out with me and made him throw up and get dizzy. Probably I won't win the "best wife ever" award today.

January 6 - Treadmill Run. 42.47. 4.0 miles. Burned 493 calories. Avg HR 164. Max HR 184.
5 min @ 5.2 mph
5 min @ 5.7 mph
5 min @ 5.5 mph
4 min @ 6 mph
4 min @ 5.5 mph
3 min @ 6.3 mph
3 min @ 5.5 mph
2 min @ 6.7 mph
2 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 7.0 mph
1 min @ 5.3 mph
1 min @ 5.4 mph
1 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 5.6 mph
1 min @ 5.8 mph
2 min @ 6.0 mph
1 min @ 6.5 mph
I have a full blown cold, including loss of voice. I did get my run done though and Tim even ran on the treadmill next to me. Once again, not winning the best wife award today because we had to cancel his birthday party...

January 9 - Chest and Back. 56:28. Burned 336 calories. Max HR 158. Avg HR 120. Used 10, 15 lb dumbbells. Day 1 of P90X was hard, but not as hard as I thought. I think our new pull up machine will definitely be helpful.
Ab Ripper X. 16.09. Burned 89 calories. Max HR 139. Avg HR 116. I hate this workout. It's really hard and it kills my hip flexors. Tim cheered me on though and I did my best to get through it.

January 10 - Treadmill Run. 30:40. 3.01 miles. Burned 355 calories. Max HR 186. Avg HR. 168.
5 min @ 5.2 mph
5 min @ 5.7 mph
11 min @ 6.0 mph
1 min @ 6.1mph
1 min @ 6.2 mph
2 min @ 6.3 mph
2 min @ 6.4 mph
2 min @ 6.0 mph
1 min @ 6.0 mph
For P90X we were supposed to do "Plyometrics" but since we're training for the Ogden 1/2 marathon, we're doing running for our cardio. I may try to add in Plyo next week, but we'll see how it goes.

January 11 - Shoulders and Arms. 50:52. Burned 346 calories. Max HR 159. Avg HR120. Used 8, 10, 15lb dumbbells. Apparently, I don't work hard enough during these workouts...although, I feel like I'm working as hard as I can. I'm always bummed about the calories burned and I feel like I need to do more. So, maybe I'll start adding in an extra cardio workout on my strength training days.
Ab Ripper X. 16.09. Burned 89 calories. Max HR 139. Avg HR 116. This workout went better today than on Monday. I still don't love it, but maybe it will come?

January 12 - YogaX. 90 min. I didn't wear my HR monitor for this workout because it frustrates me when I don't burn alot of calories, so I skipped it today and just focused on doing my best and getting through the whole 90 min.
Treadmill Run - Tim wanted to run, which surprised me so we went over to the clubhouse to use the treadmills. I wasn't really feeling much like running until we started running and then I had a fantastic workout. I ended up running 4 miles in 43:17. I burned 509 calories. My max HR 12 186 and my avg HR was 170.
10 min @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 6% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 7% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 8% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 7% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 8% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 9% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 8% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 9% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
30 sec @ 10% incline @ 5.5 mph, 2:30 recovery @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 5.6 mph
1 min @ 5.7 mph
1 min @ 5.8 mph
30 sec @ 6.0 mph
30 sec @ 6.2 mph
Finished 4 miles at 6.7 mph

January 13 - Legs and Back. 1:07:02. Burned 515 calories. Max HR 171. Avg HR 134. I used 10 and 15 lb dumbbells. This is maybe my fav P90X workout. I think it's because I feel like I really get a great workout. My legs are trashed...I was feeling them when I was carrying groceries up the stairs. Tomorrow is a long run (5 miles) so I'm hoping that will go okay with tired legs.

January 14 - Treadmill Run. 52:28. 5.0 miles. Burned 606 calories. Max HR 189. Avg HR 169. My legs were tired today...probably from the Legs and Back workout yesterday. I was planning on doing 5 miles today, but around mile 2 I was thinking maybe I should just cut it back to 4. However, Tim, who was on the treadmill next to me kept saying "Go wifey!" or "Bikini" or "Keep running until I finish my 4 miles." So, I did 5 miles. It felt great.
5 min @ 5.3 mph
5 min @ 5.4 mph
5 min @ 5.5 mph
5 min @ 5.6 mph
5 min @ 5.7 mph
5 min @ 5.8 mph
5 min @ 5.9 mph
5 min @ 6.0 mph
5 min @ 5.8 mph
0.25 miles @ 6.0 mph
0.25 miles @ 6.2 mph
0.25 miles @ 6.5 mph

January 15 - REST. Tim and I planned on doing StretchX today, but we didn't fit it in before church or after church or before bed, so it turned into a complete rest day.

January 16 - Chest and Back. 52+ min. Tim and I did this workout this morning. He wore the HR monitor so I don't have any data for me, but he burned a whopping 716 calories for this workout. He also killed it...especially compared to last week. I never burn that many calories for this workout, but I did work hard.
Ab Ripper X. I'm really not enjoying this ab workout so I may start switching in a different ab workout. I just feel like my hip flexors get trashed during the workout and my abs are NEVER sore. I'll see how Wednesday goes.

January 17 - Treadmill Run. 4.0 miles. 40:41. Burned 518 calories. Max HR 184. Avg HR 170.
5 min @ 5.5 mph
5 min @ 6.0 mph
5 min @ 5.5 mph
4 min @ 6.3 mph
4 min @ 5.5 mph
3 min @ 6.5 mph
3 min @ 5.5 mph
2 min @ 6.7 mph
2 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 7.0 mph
1 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 5.6 mph
1 min @ 5.7 mph
1 min @ 5.8 mph
30 sec @ 5.9 mph
30 sec @ 6.0 mph
30 sec @ 6.1 mph
30 sec @ 6.2 mph
Tim and I did this workout after YW on Tuesday night. We watched the tail end of the Biggest Loser and I really pushed myself...not because I was particularly motivated by the fat people weighing in on tv...but mostly because I was feeling super great.

January 18 - Calorie Killer. 40:26. Burned 323 calories. Max HR 158. Avg HR 132. I did this workout while I was waiting for Tim to get off work.
Shoulders and Arms. 1:01:51. Burned 419 calories. Max HR 155. Avg HR 120. Used 15,10,8lb dumbbells.

January 19 - Plyometrics. 58:40. Burned 590 calories. Max HR 175. Avg HR 149. Tim and I were planning on running but by the time he got off work, he was done for the day, so I figured I would get this workout done and out of the way.

January 20 - Treadmill Run. 50:55. 5.0 miles. Burned 628 calories. Max HR 184. Avg HR 167.
5 min @ 5.5 mph
5 min @ 5.6 mph
5 min @ 5.7 mph
5 min @ 5.8 mph
5 min @ 5.9 mph
8 min @ 6.0 mph
3 min @ 5.9 mph
3 min @ 5.8 mph
3 min @ 5.7 mph
2:30 min @ 6.0 mph
2:30 min @ 6.1 mph
2:30 min @ 6.2 mph
This was a hard run but mostly because my legs were toasted from Plyometrics last night. However, I pushed through. Mostly though I was totally impressed with Tim's mental toughness. He REALLY didn't want to run today, but he pushed through it.

January 21 - Legs and Back. 59:51. Burned 446 calories. Max HR 160. Avg HR 127. I used 10lb dumbbells. I had good intentions of adding on YogaX to this workout, but I was done. I think my legs are just tired and worn out and trashed. I also didn't get enough sleep last night and was hungry. So, we'll take it as a lesson and move on. I think I was missing my workout partner too. He's snowboarding with the kids today.

January 22 - Rest.

January 23 - Chest and Back. 55:29. Burned 329 calories. Max HR 155. Avg HR 114. I used 10, 15, and 20 lb dumbbells.

January 24 - Treadmill Run. 4.0 miles. 40:33. Burned 479 calories. Max HR 177. Avg HR 161.
5 min @ 5.5 mph
5 min @ 6.0 mph
5 min @ 5.5 mph
4 min @ 6.2 mph
4 min @ 5.5 mph
3 min @ 6.5 mph
3 min @ 5.5 mph
2 min @ 6.7 mph
2 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 7.0 mph
1 min @ 5.5 mph
1 min @ 5.6 mph
1 min @ 5.7 mph
30 sec @ 5.8 mph
30 sec @ 5.9 mph
30 sec @ 6.0 mph
30 sec @ 6.2 mph
30 sec @ 6.3 mph
30 sec @ 6.4 mph
30 sec @ 6.5 mph

January 25 - Shoulders and Arms. 1:03:32. Burned 395 calories. Max HR 151. Avg HR 116. I used 8, 10, and 15 lb dumbbells.

January 26 - Treadmill Run. 3.0 miles. 30:57. Burned 361 calories. Max HR 180. Avg HR 162.
5 min @ 5.5 mph
5 min @ 5.7 mph
30 sec @ 6% @ 5.7 mph
2:30 recovery @ 5.7 mph
30 sec @ 7% @ 5.7 mph
2:30 recovery @ 5.7 mph
30 sec @ 8% @ 5.7 mph
2:30 recovery @ 5.7 mph
30 sec @ 7% @ 5.7 mph
2:30 recovery @ 5.7 mph
30 sec @ 8% @ 5.7 mph
2:30 recovery @ 5.7 mph
30 sec @ 9% @ 5.7 mph
2:30 recovery @ 5.7 mph
1 min @ 5.7 mph
1 min @ 5.8 mph
1 min @ 5.9 mph
1 min @ 6.0 mph
0.25 miles @ 7.0 mph
This workout got cut short due to people waiting on the treadmill.
YogaX. 75 min. I've decided this workout is super painful to do alone.

January 27 - KenpoX. 55:35. Burned 399 calories. Max HR 160. Avg HR 125. I wanted to get in an extra cardio workout today since we have our Biggest Loser weigh-in tomorrow morning.
Legs and Back. 1:07:18. burned 502 calories. Max HR 165. Avg HR 127. I used 10 and 15 lb dumbbells for this workout.

What's for Dinner?

2012-01-18T19:04:00.003-06:00

Tonight, I tried another new recipe from Cooking Light. I made it and ate it and am waiting to hear Tim's opinion of it. I think it needs LOTS more flavor...so if you have any suggestions, please pass them along.

Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 c. chopped onion
1 T. butter
1 T. minced garlic
1 1/2 T. flour
1 c. beef broth (I used the whole can)
1 T. taco seasoning mix (I used the whole package)
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce (I used a 15oz can)
4 (8 in) whole wheat flour tortillas (I used corn tortillas)
1/3 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used fiesta blend cheese)

Directions:
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 min, stirring to crumble.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over med-high heat. Add garlic; saute 1 min. Sprinkle with flour; cook 30 sec, stirring constantly. Add broth, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 min, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 c. tomato mixture to beef mixture; reserve 1/2 c. tomato mixture.
4. Place 1 tortilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with 1 c. beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.

***I added a T. of cheese between each layer. I also cooked the dish for about 25 min to melt the cheese.

Please see nutritional information HERE.

So, like I said, I feel like it needs a BIG flavor boost. If you have any suggestions, please comment! I think this recipe is a keeper...I just need to tweak it a bit.

I Need Some Sunshine!

2012-01-17T17:51:00.001-06:00

Kona LOVES the sunshine

and will go around the house trying to find the best places
to lay in the sun.

This afternoon,

the only place he could find the sunshine was on the back of the couch.

Apparently, my sweet giant dog thinks its okay to rest on the armrest of the couch

to catch the final rays of the day!

P.S. At least he laid his head on his toy instead of sliming the couch...

What's for Dinner?

2012-01-16T19:51:00.000-06:00

Dinner tonight was a SMASHING success! Tim couldn't stop talking about how yummy it was. He even said the recipe was blog-worthy...so here you go! The recipe is called "Cheesy Potato Soup" and I found it in my Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients:
1 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
2 1/2 T. flour
3 c. chopped red potatoes (Tim said he wished the potatoes were in smaller chunks.)
1 1/4 c. 1% milk (I used 1/2 c. of 2% milk and 3/4 c. skim milk.)
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese (I used a cup of reduced fat fiesta blend cheese...because I love cheese.)
1/8 t. ground red pepper
2 T. chopped green onions

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; saute 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring onion mixture constantly. Add potato, milk, broth, and water to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1/2 c. cheese and ground red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Top each serving evenly with green onions. (I added some cheese.)

**Tim said he would add some sort of meat...I would recommend bacon bits, but since we're trying to eat healthier, we just added some chopped up turkey I had leftover from dinner the other night.

You can find nutritional information from Cooking Light HERE.

Week 1 of P90X

2012-01-16T16:51:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, we had our weigh in for the Biggest Loser: Hansen edition. I've lost 6+ lbs since January 1. I'll take it! :) Now, I just need to keep that going for the next few months. Tim and I also finished our first week of modified P90X. We did all of the strength workouts last week, including YogaX. Tim pushed himself through the workouts. We also ran 3 times last week (in place of Plyometrics and Kenpo) so our 1/2 marathon training is going great as well.

Week 2 started today and we pressed play and brought it. Tomorrow is a running day, but I may try to add in Plyometrics.

Day 1 of P90X

2012-01-09T14:08:00.002-06:00

Last Friday, our pull up bar arrived and we put it together on Saturday afternoon. It was only missing one part, which was easily remedied by a quick trip to the hardware store. Last night, we practiced pull ups using the weight bench for help. I've never been able to do a pull up in my whole life, but maybe in 3 months I'll be able to?

Today was day 1 of P90X. I woke Tim up around 8:20am and we headed downstairs for our workout. It was the "Chest and Back" dvd, as well as the Ab Ripper X workout. Tim and I alternated the exercises, so while I was doing push ups, he was doing pull ups and vice versa. It was a tough workout, but we finished...although I'm not sure we were smiling. I think we're going to be sore tomorrow, but I also think we get to have hot tub time tonight, so I'll take it.

Tomorrow is "Plyometrics", but since we're training for the 1/2 marathon in May, we're going to run instead, although I may try to fit in another workout, just to get some extra calories burned since we have a weigh in coming up on Saturday morning.

Winter Weather

2012-01-04T14:14:00.001-06:00

The weather this winter has been SO weird! We have no snow on the ground. It's 40 degrees or so outside. Its warm enough to wear chacos and for Kona to be out lying in the sunshine. He's loving it!

I, on the other hand, have mixed emotions about this. It's supposed to be cold and snowy. There is supposed to be enough snow up at Beaver Mountain so that Tim and the kids can go snowboarding. Its supposed to be dreary and grey and cloudy. But, it's not...and I'm not sure how to deal with it.

Oh...funny thing...apparently lots of people in the valley have made the resolution to run/walk/bike whatever because this week there have been SO many people outside! It was just something I noticed while we were out yesterday.

Anyways, the weather is weird. I'm struggling with the winter blues and it's not really even winter. Bizarre...

Also, because I think Kona is super cute, we'll end on a good note. He got a giant Cat in the Hat for Christmas and apparently loves it enough to snuggle it.

The Biggest Loser: Hansen Edition

2012-01-03T14:12:00.002-06:00

Before Christmas, Tim and I were over at my Mom and Dad's house with my brother Eric and my sister-in-law Karen. We were sitting around talking and my Mom asked us if we would be interested in doing a Biggest Loser challenge. My Dad said he even had a prize.

Tim and I talked about it and decided we were in. We would both like to lose some poundage and thought this might be a fun way to do it. Then, we found out the prize.

My Dad is giving the winning couple 2 free airline ticket vouchers. I don't remember how much they're worth, but 2 free airline tickets. We're definitely in!

Yesterday was the initial weigh in. We all (except for Tim because he's been sick) met at Eric and Karen's house and weighed in. Tim and I were the "smallest" couple...not my much. We will weigh in again in 2 weeks on January 14. Then, we will continue to weigh in every 2 weeks. The couple who loses the highest percentage of weight wins the airline tickets.

Here's hoping it's us because we could really use a vacation. I will say this though...I would rather just lose the weight, regardless of whether we win or not. I'm ready to get moving on this challenge!

FHE Treat

2012-01-02T20:23:00.001-06:00

Yes, I did start a Biggest Loser competition today and yes, I've been craving something sweet all day. I've been thinking about how I can make a "healthy" cookie and here's what I came up with...oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chips. Then, I found the recipe.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats, uncooked
1 teaspoon baking Soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease baking sheets. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, mix. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate pieces. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup of dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until firm and lightly browned.

**I made smaller cookies and baked them for 12 minutes. We like soft cookies at our house...no dunkers.

Oh and in an effort to be control our intake, I only made one batch and froze the rest of the dough. I'm pretty sure we don't need 5 dozen of any kind of cookies sitting around. I also realize that these cookies are not healthy, but hey...they do have a vegetable in them.

Happy New Year: Goals for 2012

2012-01-02T15:56:00.000-06:00

For about a week now, I've been thinking about what goals I want to set for myself this year. I looked back over my goals from 2011 and even evaluated them to see how well I did and I didn't do so hot. I've been thinking that maybe I should work on some 3 month goals and then move forward so that I don't lose steam and so that I feel a sense of accomplishment sooner. I've debated on what exactly I want to work on this year. Tim and I have discussed some things we want to work on. In spite of all of this thinking, I still don't have a final list, but I'm hoping that maybe if I list a few things here now, that I'll have some more concrete ideas come into my head. So, here goes...

1. Lose 40+ lbs.

My family is doing a Biggest Loser contest and we started today. I'll post more about that tomorrow. I'm hoping that will kick the weight loss off to a good start and get me motivated. Tim and I are starting P90X next week to go along with that, so I think we have a good plan in place to see some results. So, I think I'll see how the next 3 months go with P90X and the Biggest Loser and then I'll go from there and re-evaluate how this goal is going.

2. Temple Attendance

Last night, Tim and I were talking about goals and he mentioned that maybe we ought to set a goal to attend as many temples in Utah as we can this year. We have several temples pretty close to us so I think this is doable. We just need to make the effort to plan instead of just saying, "hey, we should try to go to the temple this week."

3. PR at the 1/2 IM distance.

Yes, this has been a goal of mine for the past few years and I haven't done much about it. I've already looked at races this year and I'm planning on registering for the Bear Lake Brawl 1/2 Ironman in September. I feel like that race will give me time to get a headstart on the weight loss and start my training when I can actually train outside. Tim is on board for this goal and I'm hoping that my summer will allow me to really train the way I would like to in order to achieve this goal.

4. Learn to mountain bike.

Tim loves to mountain bike and he's pretty good at it. I on the other hand can climb like a champ and will climb all day long on my mountain bike. The problem for me is going downhill. It scares me and I don't like it at all. So, I told Tim the other night that I would like to learn to mountain bike. I won't be able to start on this goal until the spring and summer, so I'm going to keep it off the radar until then, but I did want to write it down so that I can remember.

Those are the goals I have for myself so far. I really do think that if I focus on shorter goals, like 3 month goals that I might actually feel better about my accomplishments and feel like I'm making progress instead of having them sit out there, sort of forgotten.

Happy New Year!

May 2012 be even better than 2011!

A Review of my 2011 Goals

2011-12-31T10:58:00.001-06:00

Since it's the last day of 2011, it's time to do a self-check on how my goals went this year. I'm a little apprehensive about doing this, because to be totally honest, I think that I really didn't do that great on my goals. I guess that's just life and new year's resolutions and the good news is that I have next year so... here goes.

To see my post about my goals for 2011, see HERE.

1. Read the scriptures daily.

This is the goal that I completed this year. Maybe I should just pick one for next year. :) I read my scriptures every day this year. I read the Book of Mormon 3 times. I read all of the General Conference talks several times. I read the New Testament, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

Reading my scriptures daily brought so many blessings into my life. I feel like I had the spirit with me more regularly and more noticeably. I was able to learn more and strengthen my testimony. I was also able to connect the words of our modern-day prophets with the writings of past prophets. I was also able to set an example for the young women in our ward, as well as my family. This has definitely become a habit and I plan on keeping it up.

2. Attend the temple twice a month.

I started the year off doing great with my temple attendance. I think, if I remember correctly, that I was able to get to the temple twice a month up until June. Then, summer happened, trips happened, the temple closed for cleaning, and I didn't make it a high enough priority. This is definitely something I need to do a better job at and will definitely be one of my goals for next year.

3. Lose 20+ pounds by eating healthy and working out and/or training regularly.

This SO didn't happen. I worked out pretty diligently in January, then got sick and it was a battle throughout the year to get into a routine. I ran pretty regularly in August. I worked out sporadically throughout the fall. I absolutely have got to GET IT TOGETHER and get my workouts in. I'm hoping a new family challenge will help me to kick it in gear here in January, as well as some other goals I'm working on for 2012.

4. Write daily.

I thought I would do a better job at this goal than I actually did. I think I just need to do a better job of prioritizing my day and being a little bit more productive so that I feel ok about taking the time to write and work on my own goals. I have done better with this lately, but only because I've been making it a priority and adding it to my "to do" list.

5. Develop a new skill or talent.

Honestly, I had forgotten about this goal. Ooops...I guess that's sort of the point of re-evaluating progress. However, I think this is another goal that I've been working on and successful at. I learned to crochet this summer. I haven't done it much since then and I absolutely need to keep working on it, but I did learn. I also joined the ward choir and was able to work on my singing...not that I have a nice voice at all, but I did work on it. The working on singing led to getting my keyboard out and playing the piano, so I will have to check this goal off as one that I definitely completed.

6. PR at the 1/2 Ironman distance. I'm leaning towards the Bear Lake Brawl in August.

I don't even know what to say about this goal. It's on my list of goals for 2012. Last year just got super insane over the summer and I didn't take the time to train. In fact, my races last year pretty much sucked. I didn't finish Little Red Riding Hood. I'm not even sure what I signed up for and am not coming up with any races that I did at all last year.

That has to change. I LOVE racing and I really need to make sure that I'm doing races because it's part of who I am. I will say that I have been working on my race schedule for 2012. Tim is on board with my doing a 1/2IM, so we'll see how that goes.

So, there's my self-evaluation. I'm thinking that maybe I should just pick 3 goals for next year, so maybe I should pace myself and not have so many things to be working on at once. I'll write more tomorrow about my goals for 2012, but I'm thinking it will definitely be better.

The Magic of Christmas

2011-12-31T10:27:00.001-06:00

Early in December, my parents donated money to the Fraternal Order of Police to help them with their "Shop with a Cop" program and with their donation, they were given several tickets to a magic show called "The Magic of Christmas." It was on Thursday and since we had the kids, we decided to take them.

My parents got their early enough to sit right on the front row, so the kids, along with John and Kate, and Cole got to sit right up close and personal with the magician. It was a fun way to spend an evening...with many laughs.

Because we were right in the front, we got to participate. The magician needed a shoe, so Eric's size 13 Doc Martens got to play the part.

The magician's wife (ie. the assistant) wore lots of really short dresses and even got to float.

One guy got to participate in the chop your head off illusion.

The magician put his wife in a box and pushed a bunch of swords through it.

The funniest part of that trick was the outfit his wife was wearing. Her boobs were falling out of the bottom which cause much laughter in our section, probably everyone else too. My dad said that maybe she needs a bigger size. I tried to get a picture, but it didn't turn out to great. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.

It was a little corny for a magic show, but we had fun. I should mention that the poor magician had his trailer with all of his magic tricks stolen last week, so he did great improvising. There were also some technical difficulties with the music that were super frustrating for him. But, we did have fun and I guess the FOP did so great with their fundraiser they were able to help 20 more kids than they were planning on.

What a Great Dad!

2011-12-27T13:27:00.001-06:00

When Rylan started middle school this fall, apparently a girl in one of his classes started calling him "Mustache Man." He mentioned this several times to us and we asked him if he was ready to start shaving and he kept telling us no. However, Santa brought him a razor and shaving cream in his stocking which apparently triggered the question "Dad, will you teach me to shave?" on Christmas night.

Because Tim is such a great dad, he said, "Yes" and down they went into the kids bathroom. I followed right behind with the camera because I figured this was probably blog-worthy.

I have to admit I was very surprised at how well Tim did the "teaching to shave" lesson. I wouldn't have done such a great job.

First, he let Ry play with the shaving cream.

He also showed Ry how to use the razor by leaving the guard on and "shaving" his arm hair. I kind of freaked out because I absolutely didn't want Tim to shave off his arm hair.

Then, he had Ry shave a section of his arm hair to get a feel for the amount of pressure you need to use.

Next, he had Ry put the shaving cream on his face.

Then, he had Ry "shave" his mustache with the guard on the razor.

Finally, it was time for the actual shaving!

This involved much laughter and many funny faces!

Then Tim did the finishing touches. I guess that means that Ry is on his way to becoming a man. He did have fun and told us that he's planning on shaving every time he comes to our house.

Mostly, I was just impressed at what a great job Tim did teaching him. I would never have thought to use all of those different steps and to have him practice . What a great Dad he is!

Christmas with the Elwoods

2011-12-27T11:00:00.000-06:00

I was going to post this yesterday, but I had a MEAN case of food poisoning, involving issues at both ends of my food chain, so instead of blogging, I spent much time lying in bed or worshiping the toilet. Definitely not how I planned to spend Tim's day off or the day after Christmas.

However, Christmas this year was awesome. Tim and I spent Christmas Eve with my parents, and brothers and their families. We ate appetizers and played games and I watched the Sound of Music with Cole.

Christmas morning, I woke up early, like I always do and got ready for church. Because I sang in the choir this year, I had to be their early. Unfortunately, that also meant that Tim got to come to church and sit by himself. I love having Christmas on Sunday. I love being able to start the day off feeling the spirit and really focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. The program at church this year was fantastic and it definitely set the tone for the rest of the day.

After church, Tim and I headed over to my parents with Kona to have gingerbread waffles. We love them but they are SO rich that I'm glad we have them only once a year...except that Tim and I made them for the kids yesterday too. We got to watch Cole play with his new kitchen that my parents made for him. He loved it and when Karen asked him how much he said, "46." I have no idea what that means, but it was cute.

We came home and I sort of took a nap while Tim played a game on the Xbox. The kids arrived around 2pm and we had Christmas at our house.

Kona even got to join in the fun and opened some presents and even shredded a box...his favorite thing to do!

Rylan LOVED his Pittsburgh Steelers tshirt! In fact, I'm pretty sure he's been wearing it since he put it on Sunday afternoon. I'm really hoping I can talk him into taking it off today so I can wash it.

Tim got a couple of new hoodies, a tool bag, a flashlight, and a few other things. The only thing I was able to surprise him with this year was the 12 days of Christmas.

The demon dog made a few appearances.

Kyra got a new snowboard and some snowboard boots so she's all set for snowboarding this season...if we ever get some snow.

I got some super duper huge cookie sheets (Tim wants me to bake more...), as well as some other baking stuff, Sister Dalton's new book, and my personal favorite, a pair of super cute cowboy boots. I don't have a picture of the boots yet, but I love them! Tim said that we're turning into "cow" people, but I have no idea what that means.

After presents, we headed back to my parents for dinner. My Dad made a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin and we had salad and baked potatoes and it was so fun. Then we played games and it was time to go home.

We decided to watch "A Christmas Story" and that went pretty well. I ate some leftover 7 layer dip (hence the food poisoning) while Tim and the kids had candy and popcorn. Apparently, I should have skipped the dip and eaten the candy.

Anyways, we had a WONDERFUL Christmas and I'm sad that it's all over. I guess now it's time to move on to the next thing!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T23:45:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

We are so blessed to have this opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for Him, His life, and especially the atonement. I've been continually touched by the spirit of Christmas this year and I hope that I am one of those wise people who are striving to seek Him.

If you enjoyed this video, see HERE for some amazing new videos about the birth of Jesus Christ.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

2011-12-24T23:39:00.001-06:00

This is Tim's last surprise. It's out in his stocking and he'll find it in the morning.

It's just a little note telling him how much I love him. I'm definitely the luckiest girl in the entire world to be married to such a SUPER guy who keeps making my dreams come true.

Hopefully, he's had as much fun with the 12 Days of Christmas as I have. Now, I'll just have to see what I can come up with for next year!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

2011-12-24T23:36:00.001-06:00

When Tim and I saw our wedding pictures, I was disappointed...disappointed enough that I didn't really want to pick out any to hang on our walls. However, we did pay for several prints and they are our wedding pictures, so I decided for Christmas, I would pick out some pictures for Tim to hang in his office and to maybe display in our home. The only problem was that I didn't have a chance to pick any out and I also wanted Tim to have a say. I did contact our photographer to make sure I could still order the pictures and it's a yes. So, now we just have to sit down this week and put in our order.

I should mention that Tim was really surprised by this gift and when I told him what I really wanted to do (make a book from all of our wedding pictures), he said we should totally do it and display it on our coffee table. I guess that means I have a project to do in January.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

2011-12-24T23:31:00.002-06:00

I had big plans to make Tim a yummy breakfast of german pancakes, sausage, chocolate milk, orange juice. However, I thought that perhaps I should ask him what he would like...after I woke him and told him his surprise. He wanted an egg sandwich...so he got an egg sandwich while lying in bed and watching tv. Not exactly gourmet cooking, but he liked it. :)

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

2011-12-24T23:27:00.001-06:00

Tim and I are not huge movie watchers. In fact, he RARELY will go to a theater to see a movie. I knew that there were 2 movies coming out around Christmas that he wanted to see, so I figured this would be a great surprise.

However, I was surprised because on the 8th day of Christmas, he took me to see Mission Impossible 4. In my head I was thinking, "Seriously, we couldn't wait until tomorrow," but I remembered that he wants to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie, so I guess that's probably the one he'll pick.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas

2011-12-21T16:12:00.002-06:00

Today's surprise didn't go that great. The weather is gray and gloomy and so is Tim's mood. His test yesterday didn't go great so today is just kinda crappy. However, we did have lunch together so I'll take it. :)

The Seventh Day of Christmas

2011-12-20T10:48:00.001-06:00

Today, Tim is taking a certification exam for work.

He's been studying and is of course, feeling stressed.

That's why he gets this gift today!

Why Does My Garbage Disposal Hate Me?

2011-12-19T11:38:00.001-06:00

This morning I tried to play plumber and flooded my kitchen. I'll get to the flooding part soon, but there is a preface to this story...

When I lived in my super tiny apartment in IL, I didn't have a garbage disposal. It worked great...I just threw away my egg shells, vegetable peels, leftovers, whatever. I did take the garbage out often, but it was seriously no big deal. When Tim and I got married, all of the sudden I had a big fridge and an full size oven, a dishwasher and a garbage disposal. These things have all been awesome, except for the garbage disposal...because IT HATES ME!

I don't think we had been married a month before I clogged the sink with potato peels. It was a Sunday morning and I'm pretty sure I made Tim's day when I told him that the sink was clogged. I watched him unclog it and I've never put potato peels in the disposal since then.

Clogging the sink has happened a few or alot more times since then and I've watched Tim enough and even unclogged it myself to know what I need to do. I should also mention that I rarely use the garbage disposal because it truly doesn't work for me. Everyone else in the house can use it just fine, but not me.

This morning I made eggs for breakfast. Because I've clogged the sink with eggshells before, I usually don't put them down the drain. However, this morning, I used only two whole eggs and then four whites, so there were yolks and eggshells mixed together. I turned on the water, I started the disposal and then I proceeded to shove one egg at a time down the disposal. Tim says that I don't use the disposal correctly which is why it clogs, but I'm pretty sure that I used the proper procedure this morning.

We had our breakfast and then Tim went to study for his exam tomorrow, while I started to clean up breakfast...except the sink was clogged. SUPER! I finished loading the dishes in the dishwasher, put a pot under the pipes under the sink, and started testing out my plumbing skills...and failed MISERABLY!

All of the sudden there were eggshells...lots and lots of tiny pieces of eggshells...and LOTS of water SPEWING from the pipes...ALL OVER THE KITCHEN FLOOR!

Very calmly, I called out to Tim, "I need your help." Then, I hurried into the bathroom to grab ALL of our towels.

He came into the kitchen and said, "What did you do?!" Then, he started laughing. We started cleaning up.

He said, "I'm glad I came in here so fast. Perhaps next time you should have some urgency in your voice."

I said, "I didn't want to freak you out."

He said, "I'm the plumber in this house and this is something to freak out about." Then, he laughed some more and gave me a big hug.
He said, "Do you see how much work you've created for yourself?" I guess he was talking about the 2 loads of towels and rugs I'm currently washing, as well as mopping the kitchen floor.

I said, "Well, I was planning on cleaning today anyways, so I guess I've got a good start."

The kitchen is all cleaned, as well as the rest of the house. The laundry is going. I'm pretty sure I'm done with the garbage disposal. I just wish it didn't hate me so much!

The Sixth Day of Christmas

2011-12-19T11:23:00.001-06:00

One of the things that is really different about Tim and I is that I wake up early and don't go back to sleep and he likes to sleep in. Also, apparently, Kona and I are QUITE noisy in the morning, although I really try to be quiet, so Tim seriously misses his quiet sleep in time. This is why he gets this surprise!

The Fifth Day of Christmas

2011-12-18T17:57:00.002-06:00

For today, I was planning on making Tim a batch of chocolate chip cookies. They are his favorite...especially warm and straight out of the oven. However, last night after I made 150 Oreo truffles, and 100+ gingerbread men (many without arms), I asked him if I could just give him a gift certificate for cookies that he can redeem whenever he wants. I asked him if he was "cookie'd out." He looked at me and said, "I was just going to ask you if you're cookie'd out." So, instead of warm cookies today, he gets warm cookies whenever he wants.

The Fourth Day of Christmas

2011-12-17T22:12:00.000-06:00

This morning we had to run to Walmart to buy a birthday gift for one of Rylan's friends. While we were there, I picked up some "Christmas trees" for the LandCruiser. They're the smell that Tim likes, so...happy 4th Day of Christmas!

How Kona Entertained Himself During Christmas Shopping

2011-12-16T17:31:00.002-06:00

Yes...that is an open present...for my Dad. Apparently, while Tim and I were in a store getting some shopping done and Kona was supposed to be waiting patiently for us, he decided to check out the gift wrapped presents. I guess he thought Grandpa's present looked the most appealing. The back of the car had lots of shredded wrapping paper and tissue paper and some pieces of cardboard box, as well as a ribbon. Oh, he also thought he would try to open Grandma's present, but he only managed to get the ribbon untied.

I should also mention that he did this while we were getting other gifts wrap and the girl helping us was telling us how her neighbors taught their dog to open presents. Of course, I said, "Why would you want your dog to open presents?!" Now, I know that my dog knows how to open presents and apparently, he also knows that he will entertain himself if necessary.

The Third Day of Christmas

2011-12-16T17:20:00.002-06:00

Today I had to stop at a bank to pick up a roll of quarters for Tim. He loves to have a clean car so I figured this would be a good little gift.

The lady at the bank mentioned about what a bummer it was to have to do laundry today and I told her that it was actually a gift for my husband. Of course she wanted to know all of the details. It was kind of fun.

Oh and I should also mention that this was in no way a suggestion for Tim to wash the car. He takes care of that ALOT more often than I do.

The Second Day of Christmas

2011-12-15T15:18:00.003-06:00

Tim still hasn't found his surprise for the day and I'm pretty sure he won't read the blog before he finds it so here's what the 2nd Day of Christmas brings...

Now he can have warm feet when he works on the Cruiser or when he's snowboarding!

The First Day of Christmas

2011-12-14T13:08:00.000-06:00

Last year was my first Christmas being married and I decided to do the 12 Days of Christmas for Tim. It went so well that I decided to do it again this year. I haven't had as much time to work on it this year, but I think I've got some good ideas and that it's going to go well.

This was Tim's surprise this morning. It was also the start of the 12 Days last year, but I chose it for a reason. I think it's good to go back to romantic places and remind ourselves about the memories that happened there.

So, off we went to Starbucks. Tim got a hot caramel apple cider and I had a non-fat caramel steamer. I really wanted a hot chocolate, but I decided to forgo the calories. What was funny was that our cups had these "romantic" statements on them!

After we got our drinks, we headed to the tabernacle to enjoy our hot chocolate...except neither of us had hot chocolate, under our tree.

In case you've forgotten, this is the tree where we first talked about getting married and also where Tim used one of the needles to pick some pepper out of my teeth. It's definitely a "romantic" spot. I should also mention that this summer, when the tabernacle parking lot was under construction, we worried that this tree might get cut down, but it wasn't, so we still have our spot.

The Challenges of Christmas Shopping and Giving

2011-12-08T09:24:00.001-06:00

Tim and I have been working on our Christmas shopping. This year, I'm being a stickler about the budget for many reasons. Mostly, because we don't really have the extra to spend, but also because I feel like we don't need to.

We are so blessed in our lives. Tim has a good job that provides not only the necessities of life, but also some of the luxuries. We have a very nice warm home. The kids definitely have what they need and want. I also have what I need and want.

As we've tried to come up with ideas for Christmas gifts for ourselves and the kids, we've kinda been stumped. Tim says that he buys stuff for himself all year round so he doesn't want anything. The kids haven't really had many suggestions. So, I've been trying to be creative with our shopping. And trying to talk Tim out of spending $23 for a set of measuring cups. :) Not that I don't need a new set of measuring cups...I just think $23 for a set of measuring cups might just be a LITTLE pricey.

Tim took care of Kyra's shopping so she's all done. Rylan has been much trickier this year. He's right at the age when he's getting too old for toys, but he's not ready for the typical teenage gifts. Plus, he's growing SO fast, that it's hard to get him any clothes or shoes because I'm fairly certain that he'll grow out of them within 2 months. I think we're almost done with him, but I'm hoping he'll like what we've got for him.

We haven't bought anything for Kona yet. I'm still hunting for a gift for my parents. We're done with Eric and Karen. I still need to get my neighbor gifts together, but I know who and what I'll be giving. I just need to get it together and do some shopping and baking. We still need to come up with something for Tim's parents.

The shopping has definitely been challenging this year.

One of the other reasons we're cutting back this year is because of the commercialization of Christmas. I'm SO glad Christmas is on a Sunday this year. I love going to church Christmas morning. I love singing the Christmas hymns and I love having that focus on Jesus Christ throughout the day. I'm hoping to keep that spirit in our home by really paying attention to it and not focusing so much on the gifts under the tree. Plus, we don't have the kids until Christmas afternoon/evening, so they'll have already opened presents at their mom's and extended families.

Anyways, the last thing I wanted to mention about gifts and shopping is a quote that our Stake Presidency put in their Christmas letter. It talks about gift giving and I love it! It says,

"In 1906, on Christmas day, Orson F. Whitney, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke at the tabernacle in Salt Lake City. He spoke of three essentials to consider when giving gifts:

The gift should not impoverish the giver. While designed to promote the happiness of the one who receives it, it should also give happiness to the one who bestows. Therefore it should be such a gift as the giver can afford to give, one that will benefit in the highest sense the bestower, and one that will exemplify the truth of the divine declaration: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' (Acts 20:35.)

The gift should be appropriate - suited to the time, the place, the person, and the condition...

Lastly, and firstly, and all the time, it should be given ungrudgingly, not for policy's sake, nor to conform to any mere custom of fashion, it should be an expression of pure friendship, of exalted affection, and the giving should be heartfelt and sincere. ...Well and wisely has it been said: 'The best Christmas gift is not the one that costs the most money, but the one that carries with it the most love.'"

I feel like we've followed this counsel this year and I feel like its going to be a great Christmas...now, if I can just get in the mood to bake, we'll be all set.

Kona is Pup of the Month!

2011-12-05T17:29:00.001-06:00

Yes, Kona is Pup of the Month at Mountain View Veterinary Health Clinic! Check him out HERE.

The Spirit of Christmas and Music

2011-12-05T16:24:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is definitely the music. I start playing Christmas music on Thanksgiving day and it plays up until New Years. I LOVE singing Christmas music. Now, I'm sure anyone who knows me, knows that I'm really not a great singer. However, I do love to sing and I love the words of the Christmas songs and hymns we sing at this time of year.

For one of my Personal Progress value experiences, I joined our ward choir. I figured I might as well sing Christmas music since it's fun to sing. So, for the past few weeks, I've been going to choir practice on Sunday afternoons. We're singing some really awesome songs for sacrament meeting on Christmas morning. I've even been practicing at home, which means the keyboard is out and I've been playing and singing...much to Tim's delight.

So, while all of this Christmas music has been around me, I've been reminded of the power of music, especially at this time of year. I love going into the stores and hearing the different versions of Christmas hymns. I love seeing people smiling and singing along. I love how much all of this music brings the Christmas spirit into our lives.

How can you not smile, when you hear "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" or "What Child is This" or "O Come All Ye Faithful" and you remember why we celebrate Christmas? My heart is full when I think about the humble birth of our Lord and Savior and the amazing impact this small baby boy has had in not only my life, but on the entire world! I'm so grateful that this music exists and that we can solely focus on Jesus Christ at this time of year.

Next time you hear your favorite Christmas song or hymn, please take a moment to remember the reason for the season. And sing along, of course! :)

CVCA Gallery Walk

2011-12-03T14:45:00.001-06:00

Last night was the Gallery Walk here in Logan. A few weeks ago, John, the owner of a great local sandwich joint called the Italian Place, said we could set up our giant reindeer in the Gallery Walk and try to sell them. I really really really wanted Tim to be in charge of this part because I'm SOOO not a salesperson or an artsy person and I'm really not even a people person. However, Tim had to work and take Rylan to a soccer game, so I got to be the lucky person to hang out at the Gallery Walk.

Yesterday afternoon, we loaded up our 6 reindeer (there were already 2 there) and dropped them off and then I went back over there to hang out from 6-9pm. What an interesting experience! Of course, I completely did not fit in. I'm not a hippie. I believe in daily showers. I really am not the least bit artsy. I'm totally a hard science person and while I REALLY appreciate art and music and I'm SO impressed with those talents, I don't really fit in with the artsy crowd. I wasn't even dressed right...which isn't that surprising if you know me.

Needless to say, the night was kind of a flop. I sold one small reindeer to my friend Chelsey who I already knew was going to buy one. That was it. I talked to one college student who loved my reindeer but of course, he had no money. Three old ladies walked by and said the reindeer were cute. The rest of my evening was spent talking to the super friendly and super duper smelling potter who parked next to me. He was so nice and talked to me about pottery and metal working and books, but wow...did he smell. He did have some AMAZING pieces though and if I would have had any cash on me, I definitely would have bought a couple of his urns...except I would not use them for cremated bodies.

Anyways, we still have 9 reindeer to sell...I'm okay with keeping 4, but I really don't need all of Santa's reindeer hanging out on my front porch in December and in my garage for the other 11 months of the year.

Being a "Wicked" Stepmom

2011-12-02T14:03:00.001-06:00

There are alot of ideas out there about who or what a stepmom is. Honestly, in my head, I picture the typical "wicked stepmother" from all of the Disney movies. I even joke with Kyra and Rylan about being their "wicked" stepmom, especially when I'm bugging them about doing chores or telling them "no". However, I think that being a stepmom is a unique experience and its probably one of the harder aspects of my life to explain to people.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting with a friend and we were talking about raising kids and the challenges that come along with that. She asked me if I felt like I had changed since I got married and became a stepmom. I thought about it for a moment, and then replied, "Nope, I don't think so." She was surprised and asked me why I thought that. How in the world could I not have changed?!

I told her that before Tim and I got married, we sat the kids down and talked to them about my role as their stepmom. I explained to them that they already have a great Mom and that I was definitely not going to try and replace her. I told them it was completely and totally fine to call me AJ and that I would probably find it a little weird if they called me "Mom." Tim and I talked with them about our "House Rules" and asked them for input. We, especially I, tried to be very very upfront about my expectations because I feel like if everyone is not on the same page with expectations, we're setting ourselves up for some major upsets.

I honestly feel like having this conversation was really key to making our family work. It also helps that all of the parents and step-parents are on the same page about raising Kyra and Rylan and that there is communication going on between all of us. The schedule of when we have the kids is pretty normal, and we can make it to all of the kids activities because we all live within 10 minutes of each other. So, really, we have the best worst-case scenario.

All of this is what I explained to my friend about why I don't think I've changed since Tim and I were married. However, I've given that question alot more thought. I even talked with Tim about it and he agreed that I haven't changed since we've been marrried.

Probably alot of that has to do with getting married at age 31. I think I had plenty of time to figure out who I am and my personality is pretty set. I also think that because I'm a fairly laidback person...probably the most laidback person who lives in our home, I don't really feel the need to change much since how I am works. Does that even make sense?

Anyways, there are alot of really great things about being a stepmom and I thought I should probably take the time to list them because, like I said earlier, its difficult to explain what being a stepmom is like. So, here's my list.

1. Part-time kids. :) How awesome is it to be able to have kids and then send them back to their other family? We really look forward to having the kids come and all of the noise and chaos and taxi-driving and laughter and fighting and fun that comes with them. I think we probably enjoy this much more because it's not the typical daily thing for us.

2. Being able to support Kyra and Rylan in all of their activities and "stuff." How cool is it to watch kids be successful? While driving around to soccer practice and back and forth to scouts and Young Women and track/cross-country practice, is not my favorite way to spend my time, I think seeing Kyra and Rylan achieve goals and develop their talents is awesome!

3. Not having the "serious" role of parent. Because I'm not "mom," I think Kyra and Rylan open up to me more about stuff going on. I've learned that the best place to get them talking is in the car. I think that's because there's no confrontation going on at all. I'm looking at the road and paying attention to what's going on around me, while they're looking out the window and just chattering away. I also think they share stuff with me that they maybe wouldn't share with Tim, although I share it with him, because they know I'm not going to react. I'm not a "reactor" so I sometimes wonder if they test info out on me, just to see what the response will be.

4. Having instant teenagers. I don't have to deal with poopy diapers, or whiny toddlers, or teach someone how to tie their shoes (I can hang out with my cute niece and nephews if I feel the need to play with small humans.) I do have to deal with picky eaters and nagging people to take showers and wear clean clothes. I don't have to teach Kyra and Rylan how to behave...mostly. That's all been taken care of. So, really, I just have to set an example and followthrough on my expectations. I'm pretty sure I missed the "nurturing/motherhood" line in heaven, so dealing with teenagers works for my personality. Oh and I don't have to put leashes on them in stores or yell at them to watch for cars or make sure they don't catch themselves on fire or stick a fork in a wall socket.

5. Being able to have "adult" children in 7 years! How cool is that! By the time I'm 40, Rylan will be done with high school and we'll be able to move on to the raising adult children phase of our lives. That brings a smile to my face. :)

Being a stepmom is great! I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but I would say that if you're wondering about taking on someone else's kids, being a stepparent is not as bad as it seems. You probably just need to go into the experience with your eyes wide open. At least for me...

Oh and one more great thing about being a stepmom, hearing your stepdaughter introduce you to her friends saying, "This is my stepmom AJ and she's awesome!" Who wouldn't want to hear that?

December Goals and Workouts

2011-12-01T13:50:00.001-06:00

In an effort to be more accountable to myself, I've decided to post my fitness goals for the month of December. I'm also planning on posting all of my workouts. Now, this will be oh so NOT exciting to read, but it's just a way for me to keep track of myself and my goals. Feel free to check back in and see how I'm doing.

Goals

1. Journal ALL food, EVERY day!

2. Workout EVERY day...I should qualify that by saying I've planned Sundays as my rest day, but I'm also planning to stretch and go for a walk on those days...just to stay on my streak.

3. Focus on the positive. Lately, it's been SO discouraging to get on the scale and see nothing happening. I weighed and measured this morning and the scale will disappear until January 1, 2012. In the meantime, I'm hoping to enjoy my workouts and pay attention to my eating and also to just enjoy the Holiday Season. I'm also secretly hoping to see the scale go down, but I'm not going to worry about that until January 1.

So, those are my goals. I'll be adding to this post throughout the month with all of my workouts, as well as a yes, I journaled my food today. Here's hoping this works!

Workouts

December 1 ~

Complete Aerobics and Weight Training - burned 489 calories...used 5,8, 10, 15, 20 lb dumbbells

Endurance Core Beginner Core Circuit - burned 30 calories

I was planning on running today, but with everything we've got going on today and this weekend, I decided to take advantage of some time at home and get a workout done. Hopefully, I'll have time to run tomorrow. I did journal my food today...even the peanut butter bar from Great Harvest.

December 2 ~
Jari Love Get Ripped Slim and Lean - burned 416 calories...used 5, 8, 10 lb dumbbells.
Ab Sculpt - burned 90 calories
Because Tim took the kids to school this morning, I had the house to myself, so I decided to do a lifting workout instead of running because I can run tomorrow morning while everyone is sleeping. If you've ever done a Jari Love workout, you know that she does about a million reps for every exercise, so I can't lift as heavy was I would otherwise. Since I'm trying to burn 500 calories per day, i added the ab workout on, just to make up the difference. I journaled all of my food today, but did not drink enough water.

December 3 ~
Treadmill run - I ran 5 miles in 52:14 this morning on the treadmill. I burned 652 calories. My max HR was 182 and my average HR was 165. This is what the workout looked like.
5 min warmup @ 11:30 min/mile
5 min @ 10:30 min/mile
5 min @ 11:30 min/mile
4 min @ 10 min/mile
4 min @ 11:30 min/mile
3 min @ 9:30 min/mile
3 min @ 11:30 min/mile
2 min @ 9 min/mile
2 min @ 11:30 min/mile
1 min @ 8 min/mile
1 min @ dry heaving off the side of the treadmill
2 min @ 11:30 min/mile
1 min @ 11:20 min/mile
1 min @ 11:07 min/mile
1 min @ 10:55 min/mile
1 min @ 10:43 min/mile
1 min @ 10:32 min/mile
1 min @ 10:21 min/mile
1 min @ 10:11 min/mile
1 min @ 10:00 min/mile
1 min @ 9:50 min/mile
1 min @ 9:41 min/mile
1 min @ 9:31 min/mile
2 min @ 10 min/mile
1 min @ 9:31 min/mile

This workout was killer, but I loved it! I used lots of positive self-talk for the last 10 minutes. In my head, I was saying, "Be tough," "You can do this," "Never ever give up," "You an do anything for 1 minute." That definitely helped me get through and while I was dripping with sweat at the end of the workout, I felt phenomenal! I love HARD workouts! Journaled all of my food today...but definitely didn't drink enough water.

December 4 ~ Performance Stretch - Recovery. I didn't wear my HR monitor for this workout and Tim stretched with me. It was a good 15 minute full body stretch. I wrote down everything I ate and I avoided my favorite cinnamon santas at my parents house.

December 5 ~ Bootcamp Maximum Calorie Burn. I used 8 lb dumbbells and burned 501 calories. I always forget that this is a challenging workout. I also did 15 minutes of Upper Body Sculpt. I used 8 and 15 lb dumbbells and a 9 lb sculpting stick. I recorded all of my food.

December 6 ~ Get Ripped 100. I used an 8 lb dumbbell and burned 80 calories for the 12 min I worked out. I was feeling like I was going to hurl, so I changed dvds and switched to Fat Blasting Cardio. I made it through that one for 17 min and I burned 174 calories. I'm never eating at Golden Corral before a workout again. I ate way too much and its just sitting there waiting to come up. I've definitely learned my lesson. I wrote down everything I ate (I think).

December 7 ~ Get Extremely Ripped Body Rock. I have a POUNDING sinus headache, so I wasn't feeling much like working out. I decided to do this workout because it's not too hard, but I did burn 537 calories, so I'll take it. I used 10, 8, and 3lb dumbbells. Food wasn't pretty, but it was written down.

December 8 ~ Apparently, I'm getting a cold or sinus infection because my nose was running all day. I did get my workout done though. I did Hi Def Sculpt and used 10 lb dumbbells. I only burned 328 calories so I added another workout to the plan. I was hoping to do a 30 minute workout on Jari Love Get Extremely Ripped 1000 but after several interruptions, I only made it through 20 minutes. I did burn 184 calories so at least I hit my 500 calories per day goal. The food is journaled.

December 9 ~ Hard Core Fusion. I burned 454 calories and used 5, 10, and 15 lb dumbbells. I'm super sore from this workout. I did write down all of my food.

December 10 ~ Today was tricky. I woke up this morning a little later than I wanted to, so I ended up doing Cardio Dance Slimdown. I only burned 271 calories and it definitely wasn't the workout I wanted to do today. I also wrote down all of my food.

December 11 ~ Today was my rest day so I did 15 minutes of stretching. I also journaled my food.

December 12 ~ Jari Love Get Extremely Ripped 1000 Interval 2. I wasn't sure if a workout was going to happen today, but it did. I burned 514 calories. This is one of my favorite workouts. I did write down my food today, but I'm guessing I will miss something since I did eat some of the neighbor treats.

December 13 ~ Jari Love Get Ripped to the Core. I burned 558 calories and had a great workout. I used heavier weights (5,8,10,15 lb dumbbells) and I'm sure I will pay for it tomorrow, but I feel good. The food I ate was written down and I even skipped the cookies at the YW Christmas party.

December 14 ~ Jari Love Body Rock. I burned 513 calories and used 3,5,8,10 lb dumbbells. I probably should use 15s next time I do this workout. I also journaled my food.

December 15 ~ I'm not even sure I get to count a workout today. I got dressed and had the dvd on and was working out, but Kona wouldn't stay off the step. It's totally difficult to do step aerobics around a 120lb great dane. Plus, Tim called and needed Christmas gift ideas for Kyra and then I needed to be done and showered to pick up Kyra from track practice. So, I made it through the workout a whopping 8 minutes. Yep...not sure if it counts. Today has also been a crappy food choice day. :( Maybe I can fit in a short workout tonight before bed.

December 19 ~ Complete Body Sculpting 46:42. I burned 499 calories. My max HR was 175 and my avg HR was 152. I used 15 and 10 lb dumbbells. Core Solutions Standing Abs 10:04. I burned 107 calories. My max HR was 165 and my avg HR was 152. I used 8 lb weights.

December 28 ~ Jari Love Get Ripped 1000 1:02:38. I burned 626 calories. My max HR was 181 and my avg HR was 146. I used 20, 15, 10, 8 lb dumbbells. Oh and I got Rylan to do this workout with me.

Looking back on my goals for December...I did great until the middle of the month and then things got crazy busy and I didn't make my goals a personal priority. I didn't lose any weight, but I also didn't gain any weight either. I did lose inches in my hips, waist and thighs so I will take it. Oh and I did try to stay positive and not beat myself up too much about missing workouts. Now we'll have to see how January goes...

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-11-30T19:06:00.001-06:00

Tim loves homemade chicken noodle soup. I do not...at all...never have...probably never will. However, because my awesome hubby enjoys it so much and since its winter, I decided to make some for him today. It's my Dad's recipe, which means there's not really a recipe, but I'll tell you what I did and maybe it will make sense?

Yesterday, I boiled a package of about 10 chicken thighs in water, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a couple of bay leaves. I boiled the chicken for about 3+ hours and added water as necessary to make the broth. Then, I separated the chicken from the broth and put it all in the refrigerator.

This morning, I skimmed all of the fat off of the broth and poured it into the crock pot. Tim, because he knows how disgusted I get when I have to deal with chicken on bones, shredded the chicken into the broth. I peeled and sliced up about 10 carrots and put them in the broth. I also added a package of frozen corn from our garden, as well as some leftover broccoli from dinner the other night. This hung out in the crockpot for about 9 hours.

With about an hour left, I added a package of egg noodles and a package of frozen peas. Then, I let it finish cooking. The above picture is the final product. I will eat it. I'm sure we'll have it for dinner again tomorrow night. Tim loves it and it looks pretty so I guess it's a keeper.

Oh, and Tim tried my Dad's homemade chicken noodle soup and said it was DELICIOUS. Mine doesn't measure up but is still tasty. Let me know if you make it and what you think! You can also share any tips because I'm certainly not an expert at the soup making business.

Awesome Killer Dreadmill Workout

2011-11-29T18:39:00.001-06:00

The other day, I came across some new dreadmill workouts from Triathlete magazine, so today, I finally got motivated to try one of them. Of course, I modified it because while I was running, I realized I needed to be successful and not discouraged. So, this is what I did.

5 min warmup
5 min @ 10K pace
5 min @ 5K pace
2 min @ 5% incline
3 min recovery
2 min @ 6% incline
3 min recovery
2 min @ 7% incline
3 min recovery *At this point, I was supposed to start the incline at 6%...I stayed at 5%.
2 min @ 5% incline
3 min recovery
2 min @ 6% incline
3 min recovery
2 min @ 7% incline
3 min recovery
10 min @ increasing speed each min
5 min cooldown *Except I did some strides and finished with 2 min of sprinting.

I finished 5.25 miles. My average heart rate was 169 and I maxed out at 182. Definitely a great workout. I've decided that dreadmills are much more bearable when I do intervals.

Oh and the picture...LOVE IT! I'm pretty sure this is me...in the form of a hippo! :)

The Putrid Coconut

2011-11-25T11:17:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I blogged about my new pumpkin pie recipe. See here. I mentioned that I bought a whole coconut to use for the "shaved coconut" that tops the pie. I also said that we would have my dad open it since he's an expert. However, when Tim read that in my blog, he decided to look up videos on youtube about how to open a coconut. By the way, there are some interesting ways to open a coconut...one involved using your teeth.

We did not use our teeth, but hit Tim the Tool Man's tool box for a hammer and screwdriver. First, we poked holes in the "eyes" of the coconut. This should have been a clue when we didn't smell that yummy sweet coconut milk. It was a tiny bit smelly. I haven't opened a coconut before, so I thought, "hey, maybe that's what it's supposed to smell like."

We poked out all three "eyes" and then let the coconut water drain out. It smelled a little like coconut but not so much. Even Kona wasn't that interested in it.

After the coconut water was drained out, Tim started tapping around the outside of the coconut. Apparently, this tapping is supposed to make the coconut crack open into two halves.

Unfortunately, we did not get two halves... The skin of the coconut peeled right off, which is absolutely not supposed to happen. It smelled horrid...disgusting...foul... And yet, Tim still thought, maybe the coconut is good in the middle. So he sliced it open. That was when we hit putrid. Both of us were gagging and dry heaving.

I was frantically trying to find a plastic bag to put the putrid coconut in so it could be disposed of. I'm pretty sure our trash can will smell like putrid coconut all winter long.

So, needless to say, we did not have coconut on our ginger pumpkin pie. I also learned that apparently, you can't trust a coconut to be fresh and yummy. Oh, and that rotten coconuts smell absolutely AWFUL.

Ginger Pumpkin Pie with Toasted Coconut

2011-11-24T09:30:00.001-06:00

When I got my November issue of Cooking Light magazine and saw a picture of this pie on the cover, I knew I would have to try it for Thanksgiving. So, last night, after a super busy day, I made the pie...and burned the crust sort of badly.

So, this morning, since Tim had to start work at 6am, I headed to the store to buy another pie plate and some fresh ginger to make pie #2.

We did eat pie #1 for breakfast this morning and I think this recipe is a winner. I couldn't find shaved coconut at the store, so this is how I decided to address that.

Yes, that is a whole coconut. I have no idea how to open it or deal with it or anything, so I'll be taking this over to my parents house so that my dad can help me.

Anyways, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 T. grated peeled fresh ginger (Tim suggested using a potato peeler to peel and it worked great!)
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. allspice
2 large eggs
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin
1 (14 oz) can of fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 package of refrigerated pie dough (I used Pillsbury)
1/2 cup flaked or shaved, sweetened coconut toasted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.
3. Roll dough into an 11-inch circle; fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold edges under and flute. **I didn't have to roll the dough and I had no idea how to "flute" the edges, but I think whatever I did turned out kind of pretty.**
4. Pour pumpkin mixture into prepared crust. Place pie plate on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet on lowest oven rake. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from baking sheet; cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate 2 hours or until chilled. Sprinkle coconut over pie. **I will make some whipped cream to go on top as well.**

A Grateful Heart

2011-11-24T08:57:00.001-06:00

Today, I got to wake up early and think about all of the many, many things I've been blessed with in my life. I'm so grateful that we have the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving and take one day out of the year to focus on all of the "stuff" we've been blessed with. The other night, Tim and I were talking and I asked him to list the top 3 things he's grateful for. To be fair, I thought I would post mine here...in no particular order.

TIM

I'm so grateful for my husband. He has brought so much MORE to my life. I'm grateful that we get to do all sorts of fun things and that we truly get to live life! I'm grateful for all of his love and support in all that I do. I'm grateful for his hard work and that I get to spend so much time with him. I'm grateful for his patience with me and I love him more each and every day.

MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

I'm grateful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I'm grateful for the spirit that we have in our home. I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I'm grateful that we are led by a prophet, President Thomas S. Monson and that we receive such amazing counsel and blessings. I'm grateful for my testimony and for the scriptures.

FAMILY

I'm grateful for my family. I'm pretty sure that I have the very best family in the whole world. I'm grateful that I get to be a stepmom to Kyra and Rylan. I'm grateful that we get to spend so much time with them and for all of the joy and excitement and stress they bring into my life. I'm so grateful for my parents and for all they have done for me and all they continue to do for me. I'm grateful for my brothers and sisters-in-law and all of my cute nieces and nephews. I'm so grateful that I get to be an aunt.

LIFE

I'm grateful for the life I get to lead each and every day. I'm grateful for all of the adventures I get to have. I'm grateful to live where I live and to be able to enjoy all of the beautiful creations around me. I'm grateful for my body that is healthy and strong that allows me to do all of the fun stuff I love to do.

CHALLENGES

I'm grateful for the challenges, trials, and hard things in life. I'm grateful for the strength that I develop through them. I'm grateful for the personality traits that I've been given that allow me to endure my specific trials. I'm grateful for my desire to challenge myself and for the drive and determination that is in me.

Those are just a few of the things that I'm grateful for. I hope you all have a grateful day and enjoy the feast!

The Christmas Lights are Up!

2011-11-23T22:14:00.001-06:00

Today was the day the Christmas lights went up at our house! Of course, Kona had to supervise. Tim even got him to climb the ladder.

We only had to use 2 strands this year, so we actually have an extra stand that we're trying to figure out what to do with it.

We also hung my awesome wreath. This took a couple of tries because we kept changing our minds on where exactly we wanted the wreath to be. I'm debating on a ribbon for the wreath, but I'm thinking that maybe I should just leave it sort of rustic looking to go with my super cool reindeer. Oh...the reindeer will be going out tomorrow...at least one of them will be on the porch.

Maybe we should use this as our Christmas card photo?!

We also had to adjust the cord for the wreath because the first attempt made the wreath look square. I'm pretty sure wreaths are not meant to be square.

I'm pretty sure that the highlight of Kona's day was finding this tiny ball in one of the planting beds. He brought it in the house and was flipping it all over the place. This was before I got the house all cleaned up, but I'm sure the cute tiny soccer ball will make an appearance tomorrow.

P.S. The Christmas lights will not be turned on until tomorrow night... :)

Motivation...

2011-11-16T18:43:00.001-06:00

I have been struggling with motivation lately...especially in my workouts. I don't know what the deal is. It seems like a constant struggle to talk myself into working out. Usually I feel pretty good after a workout, but lately, I've just felt more tired. I can TOTALLY relate to this comic.

This morning, while I was lying in bed, catching up on Facebook, I found some motivation. I'm "friends" with Siri Lindley, who is a phenomenal triathlete coach. I've never met Siri Lindley, but I have read alot about her and have been totally impressed by her coaching abilities. I love the athletes she coaches and I love the positive energy she sends out. Each morning, she posts some inspirational quotes. When I come across one that I like, I write it down.

However, this morning, her quote got me out of bed and into my workout clothes and I even got a workout done. Here's the quote:

"Don't wait until everything is just right.

It will never be perfect.

There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions.

So what.

Get started now.

With each step you take,

you will grow stronger and stronger,

more and more skilled,

more and more self-confident,

and more and more successful."

~Mark Victor Hansen

How could this statement not motivate you?!

I often find myself waiting until all of the stars are aligned and everything is perfect with no distractions and everything going my way before I start working towards my goals. It's not that I don't want to, I just want "stuff" to be in place so that I can be successful. But, this quote reminded me of something I already know. Life will NEVER be perfect. I need to just get my butt in gear and start kicking it.

Now, if I can just remember this tomorrow morning...

The Giant Reindeer Project

2011-11-14T16:27:00.001-06:00

Two Saturdays ago, Tim and I made our giant reindeer prototype. See here. Because we liked it so much, and because we heard alot of great comments about how cool the giant reindeer was, we decided that we would try our hand at building and selling these steel reindeer.

On Friday morning, we decided to paint the prototype. I chose a color called "antique oiled brass." Tim was skeptical, but it turned out awesome. Before we could paint, we had to clean the reindeer off with alcohol and then prime it. Of course, Kona had to supervise. I did put him in the house before we started the painting because I really didn't want paint paw prints all over my carpet.

After the primer went on and dried, we painted it the "antique oiled brass." It is a dark brown with gold metallic in it. I'm typically not a gold person, ever, but I think the shimmer in the paint really adds to the color. I'm a fan and my reindeer will definitely be painted this color.

Once the reindeer was dry, we took it outside to see how it would look. I'm pretty sure it looks fabulous, but I'm also completely and totally biased.

While we were having lunch at one of our favorite places, The Italian Place here in Logan, we spoke with owner about putting a couple of our steel reindeer in the restaurant and trying to sell them. They said, "Of course" and also suggested that we put the reindeer in the local gallery walk on December 2.

So, last Saturday, we went back to IPACO and bought the steel to make six sturdy giant reindeer. We spent the afternoon building two of these reindeer.

This morning, we sanded, primed, painted, and laquered the reindeer and now they're sitting in the garage drying.

Tomorrow morning, they're headed to the Italian Place to hang out for a few weeks with hopes that we can build even more super cool steel reindeer. If you're interested in purchasing one, or a pair, let me know and we can definitely have a conversation about it! Oh, and if you have any suggestions about how to make the giant reindeer cooler or fancier or a way to sell/market them more, please let me know!

The Ogden Half Marathon! We're In!

2011-11-10T07:58:00.001-06:00

I woke up at 5:55am this morning to register Tim, Kyra, and I for the Ogden 1/2 Marathon in May. This is one of my very favorite races and I'm totally excited because this will be Tim and Kyra's first 1/2 marathon. Oh, and our friends Tom and Andrea and KeniaAnn and even my mom are signing up. What a fun day we will have!

Reunited...And It Feels So Good?!

2011-11-08T18:12:00.000-06:00

Oscar and the trainer have been reunited. I guess that's one of the joys of living in a place that has an actual winter...with snow and super cold temperatures. Plus, I'm a total fairweather rider, so I've spent many a winters day and sometimes a spring and fall and even summer day on the trainer.

Today, I felt like riding, but I also wanted a serious leg-burner, so here's what I came up with.

5 min warm-up - easy spinning
5 min weights - 1 min each of squats, alternating lunges, dead lifts with 15lb dumbbells, side squats and plie squats
5 min pedaling hard in my big ring
5 min weights - same as above
5 min pedaling hard in my big ring
5 min weights - same as above
5 min pedaling harder in my big ring
5 min weights - same as above
5 min pedaling harder in my big ring
5 min weights - same as above
5 min pedaling in my big ring and smallest rear ring - hardest work
5 min cooldown with one-legged pedaling drills

My legs are toast. In fact, I had a HARD time walking up the stairs after the workout was over. However, it was an awesome workout. I burned 694 calories and my average heart rate was 158. I maxed out at 174. I may have to try this workout again.

"Treading" #2

2011-11-07T18:17:00.001-06:00

Since I had such a great run doing the "treading" workout, I decided I would hit the treadmill and see how today went. I also thought maybe I should write down these workouts to see if I have any improvements. Here's how the "treading" went down today.

5 min @ 11:32 min/mile
5 min @ 10:31 min/mile
5 min @ 11:32 min/mile
4 min @10:00 min/mile
4 min @ 11:32 min/mile
3 min @ 9:27 min/mile
3 min @ 11:32 min/mile
2 min @ 0\8:57 min/mile
2 min @ 11:32 min/mile
30 sec @ 8:31 min/mile
30 sec @ 8:00 min/mile
1 min standing on the edge of the treadmill taking deep breaths and keeping the puke down
2 min @ 12:00 min/mile (trying super hard to stop dry heaving)
1 min @ 11:32 min/mile
1 min @ 11:00 min/mile
1 min @ 12:00 min/mile

I ran for 40 min. I burned 490 calories. My average heartrate was 164 bpm. I ran 3.?? miles on the treadmill. Darn it...why can't I remember. So, how does that compare to last time? My warmup and cooldown and recovery times were at 11:32 pace instead of 12:00 pace. I'm pretty sure that my distance was longer this time. My last interval and first intervals were not as fast. I'm wondering if that's a difference from a first thing in the morning run to an early evening run.

Anyways, that run is in the books. Now, I just need to convince some of my running buddies that this is a fantastic workout!

A Monday in the Life of a Trophy Wife

2011-11-07T16:59:00.002-06:00

I should probably explain the "trophy wife" in the title...I think being a housewife sounds so dull and drab and boring. Trophy wife sounds WAY better and definitely more glamorous...so when people ask what I do, I tell them that I'm Tim's trophy wife. Of course that comment gets all sorts of looks, but I'm amused by it. Anyways, on to my Monday.

Mondays are always super busy for me. I do that to myself on purpose. I prefer to get all of my cleaning, laundry, errands, tasks, duties, etc etc etc done on Monday so that I have the rest of the week to hang out with Tim and to do whatever other stuff comes up.

Here's what I've done today:

-Read my scriptures
-Worked on my lesson for Sunday
-Made oatmeal for breakfast. Tim cleaned up breakfast so he gets lots of gold stars and lovin for that.
-Unloaded and loaded the dishwasher.
-Took the dog out to do his "business"
-Went over my calendar for the week
-Took the dog out to do his "business"
-Got ready for errands
-Went with Tim to Lowe's to buy paint for our reindeer project.
-Went with Tim to his dad's house to work on the welder.
-Went to Praxair with Tim to get parts for the welder.
-Checked out my mom's thumb since she's injured.
-Ate some of my dad's yummy pineapple.
-Took the dog out to do his "business"
-Ate lunch with Tim.
-Started the laundry

-Used the lady drill to unclog the shower drain. I joked with Tim that it may be time for me to cut my hair. He said absolutely not.

-Cleaned and mopped the bathroom.
-Cleaned and mopped the kitchen. Decided not to "restore" the floor since it takes 24 hours to be completely dry. Who has time to not use their kitchen for 24 hours???
-Dusted, vacuumed and cleaned the ceiling fan in my bedroom.
-Worked on the laundry.
-Took the dog out to do his business.
-Worked on my blog while waiting for the kitchen floor to dry.

I still have 3 more loads of laundry to do, a workout to get done, a floor to "restore", dog school with Kona, and make dinner for my cute husband. Oh and we need to do FHE. Like I said, Mondays are busy, but hey...I'll take one busy day if that means the rest of the week goes smoother.

Happy Monday!

The Giant Reindeer

2011-11-05T17:49:00.000-05:00

When Tim and I were engaged, I went shopping after Christmas and found these amazing reindeer on sale and brought them home. They're great for the house, but I knew that I needed some giant reindeer for my porch. Last year, we didn't even consider making the giant reindeer. But this year...well, I guess this is the year of the reindeer.

Earlier this week, I mentioned to Tim that I would like some reindeer for our porch. He said he would help me, if I came up with the plan and if they weren't too expensive. So, I began figuring out what I wanted and I also started figuring out materials and cost and design and lots of other stuff.

On Friday, Tim and I headed to IPACO to buy our steel. We got to make an exciting drive with 7 pieces of 20 ft steel strapped to the top of the cruiser. We dropped off the steel at my father in law's place and then Tim worked on the welder. I also discovered that wearing a welding hood doesn't work for me AT ALL due to my big mop of hair, as well as my claustrophobia.

This morning, Tim and I headed out to make our reindeer prototype. First, we had to measure and cut out our pieces. Once the pieces were cut out, there was grinding, welding, bending, welding, shaping, welding and decision-making.

After 2 hours of fun, this is what we ended up with. I LOVE it! I can't wait to put it, and it's buddy out on my porch. Of course, I need to take a better picture of it...after I prime and paint it.

We have one more deer to make for our porch, a set for my parents for Christmas, and we'll even have a pair to sell. We haven't decided on a price yet, but I hope someone will think they're as cool as I do and will want to buy them. Hey, maybe I've found my new calling in life...

Chocolate Chip Dutch Baby

2011-11-05T17:28:00.000-05:00

When I was flipping through my cookbook, I saw this recipe and knew that Rylan would LOVE this for breakfast. I also knew that I wouldn't like it...mostly because I have a very vivid memory of ordering chocolate chip pancakes, shaped like Mickey Mouse, when I was six years old at Disneyland. My parents kept saying, "You won't eat it...You won't like it," and yet, I just had to have the disgusting mound of pancakes filled with chocolate chips, and covered with whipped cream, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and probably a cherry. Of course, my parents were absolutely correct. I didn't eat the chocolate chip Mickey Mouse pancakes. Anyways, I digress...

So, yes, when I saw this recipe, I knew I would have to make it for Rylan. When Tim and I woke up this morning, we decided he would try to make german pancakes (that didn't work out so well) and I would make the chocolate chip dutch baby. The recipe was a roaring success with the kids. I didn't try it. Tim said it was too sweet. I think we'll try it again, but use berries.

Here's the recipe if you're interested!

Ingredients:
3/4 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 large eggs
2 T. butter, divided
1/3 c. chocolate chips
3 large bananas, sliced diagonally
1/2 c. whipped topping

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet in the oven for 15 minutes. Combine the first 5 ingredients; stir with a whisk until smooth. Melt 1 T. butter in preheated pan until browned, swirling to evenly coat the pan. Add batter; sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until puffed and brown.
3. Serve with sliced bananas and whipped cream.

**The kids said they were very chocolatey...so use your judgement with the chocolate chips. Also, Tim did say that eggs with chocolate chips in them weren't great...I have no idea what that means, but maybe this is just a kid recipe.

Anyways, let me know if you try this and what you think!

The First Snowfall of the Winter

2011-11-05T17:18:00.000-05:00

This past week, we kept hearing that we would have a snowstorm this weekend. Sometimes I'm disappointed when they say "storm" and it's only a tiny bit of snow. This time, there was no disappointment.

We had our first snowfall last night. There was snow on the ground this morning when we woke up. There was even a little snow on the sidewalks. Let the winter fun and reindeer games begin!

Fall Decorations

2011-10-24T15:46:00.002-05:00

Here is my attempt at fall festivity decorations. This is a big giant bowl sitting on my coffee table.

This is why I'm not into decorating...Yes, those are teeth marks from my sweet naughty dog in my white pumpkin. I came upstairs from giving him a bath and found him tearing up a cardboard box and tearing up my decorations. I'm seriously pondering the worth of decorating on the coffee table...

Oh and in case you forgot, this was last year's debaucle with decorations...What's Wrong With This Nativity Scene?

How to Give a Great Dane a Bath

2011-10-24T15:35:00.002-05:00

Kona has needed a bath for awhile...but I've been waiting until its warm enough for him to go outside in the sun to dry off. Wishful thinking on my part I guess. Anyways, this morning Tim and I were getting ready to go and do some errands, so while Tim finished up his morning computer time, I decided to give the dog a quick bath.

I've had several people ask how in the world I give Kona a bath. It really has never been an issue, mostly because he's been having baths since we got him. I will say that getting him to the bathtub is a little tricky and sometimes involves some bribery. I have been known to give him an entire hot dog to get him in the tub. However, this morning, Kona only made me chase him around the house for a few minutes before I got him to hop in the tub.

Once he's in the tub, he usually just stands there while I rinse him off. He looks thrilled, doesn't he. One time he did jump out of the tub and ran around the tiny bathroom (the floor is covered with towels prior to the water turning on) which resulted in me being super wet and him unhappy to get back in the tub. Today he was awesome and stood there the entire time.

After he's wet, I lather him up with some oatmeal sensitive skin shampoo. That's shampoo squirted all over his back. Its supposed to smell like coconut...I'm not sure about that, but it does smell nice.

He loves the lathering part. I'm always surprised at how much hair comes off when he gets bathed. I think he just likes being warm and massaged. He was shaking off in this picture.

Then he gets rinsed off. No big deal there. I just have to make sure to keep the soap out of his eyes and make sure that he gets completely rinsed off. He has sensitive skin, so I always try extra hard to get all of the shampoo rinsed off.

Probably Kona's favorite part is getting dried off. After I towel him off, or attempt to towel him off, he heads out into the house to do zoomies. He runs around like a maniac, picks up all of his toys, runs up and down the stairs, jumps off and on the beds, and then he runs to the door, rings his bell and heads outside to pee. Apparently, he also looks like demon dog in the midst of the zoomies.

When he's dry, he gets vacuumed off. Yes, actually vacuumed off. He loves it. In fact, whenever I get the hose out for the vacuum, he comes running. Today he got vacuumed off in the garage and again in the house while I was cleaning the house.

Finally, he lays in the sunshine relaxing. What a life he leads...

Little Bear Bottoms Corn Maze

2011-10-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the month, Kyra and I got to go to Little Bear Bottoms Corn Maze with the young women and young men from our ward. We had fun...mucking around in ankle deep mud...but Rylan was very sad because he wasn't old enough to go. So, since we didn't have plans last night, we decided to take the kids and their friends to the corn maze.

Rylan loves going to Little Bear Bottoms Corn Maze, I think mostly because of the big giant hay bale maze. This is actually a picture from their website. I didn't think to take one last night. Tim tried to get me to go inside. I think I made it in about 3 feet before I was on my way out. Apparently, I do not do big giant straw forts. I'm WAY too claustrophobic. Tim also says this explains my aversion to long-term snuggle time. Perhaps he's right?!

This is a great place to take kids because there's alot of stuff to do. Besides the straw fort, there is a string maze. Kyra said that the string maze is where you get to look like an idiot in front of everyone. I guess my friend Andrea's daughter totally clotheslined herself when they did the string maze last week. I haven't tried it but it does look fun.

Tim and I headed into the corn maze with Rylan and Tyce. I should probably mention there are two mazes...a long one and a short one. I should also mention that I had never exited a corn maze at the exit so I was just planning on wandering through the corn. When we did this activity with the young men and young women, the girls said you just take every left and you'll come out in the end. So, that was my plan. The boys decided they always wanted to choose the right, so we quickly lost them.
We proceeded to walk and walk for quite awhile...like maybe 2 miles or so. Oh and I thought, hey, let's take some pictures. Here's what I learned about taking pictures in a pitch black corn maze with my husband.

Apparently, it's very tricky to get your husband to be serious while taking pictures in the pitch black dark.

After we made it out of the corn maze...yes, my first time ever exiting the exit of a corn maze, Tim and I went over to sit on a hay bale and watch Ichabod Crane and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I was entertained and actually laughed out loud a few times. That movie is definitely a Halloween classic.

Once the movie was over, Tim and I headed over to the fire and stayed warm while the kids finished up their stuff. I would definitely recommend this corn maze as a great place to take your family. There's lots to do. There are also several interesting conversations you will here. Oh, and they have a haunted river trail and a haunted tractor ride. I still haven't done those yet, but maybe next year. I guess this has become a new family tradition.

"Treading"

2011-10-22T09:58:00.002-05:00

This morning, as I was lying in bed, I was sort of feeling like I wanted to go for a run...but I was coming up with a long list of excuses. Excuses like, I'm tired...Its cold outside...I don't want to run by myself...I don't want to be out in the middle of the neighborhood and feel all poopy...Yes, excuses like that.

Suddenly, I was inspired. I thought about Time Out for Women and a talk by Laurel Christensen. For her "Choose to Become" journey, she decided that she wanted to become a runner. She also wanted to lose some weight, so she headed down to the Biggest Loser Ranch in southern Utah. She explained a workout called "treading". When I was listening to the talk, I thought, "I totally need to do that workout." So, since that popped into my head, I decided to head over to the Clubhouse and hit the treadmill. And I had the BEST RUN IVE HAD IN MONTHS!

Here's what my workout looked like.

5 min warmup @ 12:00 min/mile

5 min HARD @ 10:30 min/mile (I actually sped it up to 10:00 min/mile for the last 2:30)

5 min recovery4 min HARD @ 10:00 min/mile

4 min recovery

3 min HARD @ 9:30 min/mile

3 min recovery2 min HARD @ 8:57 min/mile (This was puke pace.)

2 min recovery

1 min HARD @ 8:01 min/mile (This was definitely puke pace)

1 min recovery (This involved standing on the edge of the treadmill trying super hard not to dry heave.)

5 min cooldown @ 12:00 min/mile

This was not a fast workout. I think I only ran 3.75 miles. I will say this, I felt super strong and tough and I loved the challenge and I especially loved puke pace. I'm sort of thinking I may need to turn this into a once a week workout!

The IRS and Two Cute Little Boys

2011-10-20T16:25:00.000-05:00

On Monday afternoon, I found a letter from the IRS in the mail. I assumed correctly that it would contain not great news. Surprise surprise...we're being audited. Yep... That meant that Tuesday was spent collecting copies of checks...like 30+ copies of checks. Wednesday morning was spent writing and putting together a 50 page document. Wednesday afternoon was spent preparing the document to fax and then faxing it. Hopefully, my anal-retentiveness will work for the IRS and they won't have to bother us anymore. Here's what the document looked like before I sent it away.

Today was a much better day. I got to spend the morning with my two cute nephews, Cole and Jay. Cole is 2 1/2 and is working on getting potty trained. He has also discovered that he can do funky things with his tongue.

His brother Jay is 3 months old and I am his very most favorite auntie. He loves to hang out with me and will talk to me. It's totally adorable. Oh and I can even get him to fall asleep. That is actually a miracle!

He even let me dress him this morning. He loves being naked and was smiling big before I could get his cute striped baby pants on. I'm pretty sure only a baby could get away with wearing these pants, but maybe I'm wrong?

Definitely not a bad way to spend a Thursday morning...holding a super sweet baby boy for a couple of hours and reading to my super cute sometimes naughty 2 year old nephew.

My First Attempt at Making French Bread

2011-10-18T12:37:00.004-05:00

We are almost out of bread at our house, so I decided, in an attempt to skip going to the grocery store, to try and make some bread. I should mention that I have really really bad luck getting bread/rolls to rise at my house. Like, I can't even get Rhodes rolls to work. I'm out of whole wheat flour(yes, I really need to make a trip to the store) so I decided to try making white bread. Of course, the only recipe I could find was for french bread, so I made french bread in a loaf pan. We'll see how that turns out. Anyways, here's the bread.

And, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 package of dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 c. warm water
3 c. bread flour
1 t. salt
Cooking spray
1 T. water
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Place flour and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until blended. With processor on, slowly add yeast mixture through the food chute; process until dough forms a ball. Process 1 additional minute. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 or 5 times.
3. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover dough; let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 45 minutes or until double in size.
4. Punch dough down, and shape into a 9x8 inch rectangle. Roll up dough, starting at long side, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets. Pinch seam ends to seal. Cover dough, and let rise 30 minutes or until double in size.
5. Preheat oven to 450.
6. Uncover dough, and make 3 diagonal cuts across the loaf, using a sharp knife. Combine water and egg white, and brush mixture over top of loaf. ***I didn't do this step.***
7. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

So, I haven't tried my bread yet. I'm pretty sure that it didn't rise like it's supposed to. Perhaps I'm destined to make bricks instead of bread. However, at least I'm making the effort???

P.S. This bread is delicious. Tim said its the best bread I've ever made. We both had PBJ sandwiches for lunch and I'm pretty sure there's only 1/3 of the loaf left. I sort of have a bread problem. :) This is definitely a repeat offender for our house.

Monday Morning Mountain Drive

2011-10-17T14:52:00.008-05:00

This morning, Tim asked me if I wanted to take a drive into the mountains. I said of course, so off we went in the Cruiser. We started off at Nyla's Chevron getting gas for the Cruiser and breakfast for us. I was in charge of breakfast, so I picked breakfast burritos over convenience store food. I picked WRONG! The burritos were vile...like neither of us could choke them down. I guess you could say that we ended up having big drinks for breakfast.

After that nastiness, we headed up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. I wish that I would have taken pictures because it was GORGEOUS! There was so much color. I'm actually thinking that I may have to drive up there again tomorrow just to take some pictures. We passed Hardware Ranch and headed up a dirt road. It was muddy, but not too bad. However, as we climbed higher, it got muddier. We even got to pull off the road for a truck to slide down (literally, slide down) the road. I guess that's what happens to Ford trucks in the mountains...

I'm definitely not mocking because Tim and I did our fair share of sliding. In fact, at one point, after I spilled my big drink, he told me it was time for me to get out. I should probably mention that I did not plan on getting out of the Cruiser, so I was wearing my Chacos. He handed me my big yummy Diet Coke and proceeded to slide down the mountain. Instead of sliding, I got to walk/slide/muck/skid/skate down the muddy, mucky mess in my sandals. I even walked out of my sandals a couple of times. Oh, and I had to dump my big yummy Diet Coke out because I figured it would be better to make it down the hill without 64 oz of Diet Coke spilled over me. When Tim got down the mountain, he hopped out of the Cruiser and decided to take my pictures. I'm pretty sure that I had at least an inch of mud on the bottom of my shoes.

Once we got out of the mud, sort of, we were on a super rocky road, so Tim asked me to hop out and "air down" the tires. This is why I'm called his tech assistant.
On with the ride...we continued driving along and ended up in the pines and snow. Yes, I still had sandals on with a bunch of mud on the bottom of them. I no longer had my big yummy Diet Coke. But, I was having the time of my life. Tim kept driving through the huge mud puddles, which make the coolest sound, and I love watching the "car wash effect." I'm pretty sure he kept doing that because I couldn't stop giggling when he would do it.

We ended up our drive coming out at the Bear Lake Summit. Then, we headed down Logan Canyon, which was absolutely gorgeous, although not as colorful as Blacksmith Fork Canyon.

After we came out of the canyon, it was off to the car wash. The Cruiser must remain clean and sharp looking in the drive way, so Tim spent about 30 minutes spraying the mud off his baby. It was super duper muddy!

He also washed my Chacos for me because I was still walking around with an inch of mud on the bottom of them.

What a fantastic way to spend a Monday morning! I have the best husband in the world. Oh and I guess this will probably be our last off road mountain drive until the roads open up in the spring so that made it even better!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

2011-10-16T16:50:00.004-05:00

Apparently, I'm in a baking mood this afternoon. Possibly it's due to the cloudy, cool weather and the need to warm up the house. It could also just be that I'm in the mood for some chocolate chip cookies. Yes, I do have chocolate chip cookie dough all ready to be baked, but I'm making pumpkin chocolate chip bread for the first time. It's in the oven as I type this...but I'll add a picture when it comes out. I'm really hoping that it turns out to be tasty. Here's the recipe if you're interested...

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1/3 c. water
1 small (15 oz) can of pumpkin
1 t. vanilla
1 package of chocolate chips
3 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 t. cinnamon
1 t. ginger

Directions:
Beat eggs and sugar together. Add oil, water and pumpkin to egg mixture and mix flour, soda, salt and cinnamon together and add to pumpkin mixture. Add vanilla. Stir in as many chocolate chips as you like. Pour in 2 greased bread pans and bake at 300°F for 1-1/2 hours or until cake tests done (toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).

I'm definitely going to have to share one of the loaves because Tim and I definitely do not need to eat 2 loaves. Oh, and the chocolate chip cookies will probably be baked before the end of the week. When I make the dough, I usually just bake a dozen cookies at a time so we don't end up eating 48 cookies in one day.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think! Happy baking!

Zucchini Bread

2011-10-13T18:57:00.003-05:00

This morning while I was getting the shrimp out for dinner tonight, I decided that I was going to make zucchini bread, so I grabbed a bag of my frozen shredded zucchini. My first attempt at zucchini bread was last week, and while I had serious issues getting it out of the pans, it was DELICIOUS! So, here's the recipe...oh and I have 2 loaves so feel free to come over and share!

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. grated zucchini
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon (the recipe calls for 1, but I've been using 2)
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour bread pans. You can also use Bakers Joy spray.
2. Beat eggs until frothy. Gradually add sugar. Stir in vegetable oil and vanilla. Beat until thick and lemon colored ***mine hasn't been lemon colored, more white-ish***. Stir in zucchini.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Stir into wet mixture.
4. Pour batter into pans.
5. Bake for 60 minutes.
6. Allow loaves to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans. ***I greased and floured my pans today so I'm hoping the loaves will pop right out, but apparently removing the loaves from the pans is a common problem.***

Let me know what you think. My sister in law and I were talking and she uses the same recipe. She's received all sorts of compliments. We love it.

Kyra and Cross Country Regionals

2011-10-12T20:17:00.006-05:00

This afternoon, Tim and I had the opportunity to see Kyra compete in a regional cross country meet from Logan High School. This may not seem like such a big deal, but there is definitely more to this story.

As long as I've known Kyra, she has despised running. I don't mean disliked...I mean hated running with every fiber of her being. Any time the topic of running came up, her mood turned immediately sour. So, I'm sure you can imagine our surprise when Kyra came home at the beginning of the school year to tell us that she had joined the cross country team.

I couldn't believe it. What in the world was she thinking?!? Why in the world would anyone who truly despises running join a running team?!? Especially the CROSS COUNTRY team?!? Tim and I talked about it. He said that if that's what she wanted to do, then let her do it, but she was not allowed to quit.

So, over the past several weeks, Kyra has been staying after school to run. She doesn't run fast. In fact, she is the slowest runner on her team. However, she has continued to train and work hard. Last week, we saw her run at a meet at SkyView High School. She came in last place and was even lapped by the guys.

Over the weekend, Kyra was super wound up and worrying about the meet today. She was putting all sorts of pressure on herself (unnecessarily) and was actually pretty difficult to be around. She kept talking about running well today. I decided to share a story with her.

When I was in 10th grade, I had a friend talk me into trying out for the softball team. I didn't really like softball. I was already playing volleyball and basketball and it was kinda nice to have the spring off. She really didn't want to go to tryouts by herself, so she convinced me to just go with her and I, being the super nice friend that I am, said, "Sure." Well, she didn't make the team, but I did. I have no idea how. My first year, I rode the pine. My batting average was .000. I didn't play hardly ever. Seriously... However, I worked hard and showed up and cheered like a crazy person. My second year, I was playing first base and if I remember correctly, I started every game. My batting average went up, but still wasn't great. I had improved tremendously. My senior year, I batted over .400 and was on the state all-star team. I explained to Kyra that you don't get good in one season. Performing better requires lots of hard work and dedication and determination. It requires stick-to-it-tivness.

Kyra is one of the most stubborn people that I know; although I still have her beat. The tricky thing is that she typically doesn't use her stubborn powers for good. She told me that she wants to become a better runner. She wants to lose weight and become faster. I told her that I could help her do that...but she can't expect it to happen overnight...or in one week, or in one season. If this is what she wants, then she's going to have to spend MONTHS working towards it. This is when she decided that she wants to do the Ogden 1/2 Marathon in May 2012.

Fast forward to today...we saw Kyra before the start. Her and her friend Harriet barely made it to the start when the gun went off. The rest of the girls took off and Kyra was in last place. I went back to the car to get the super cute flowers we got for Kyra (gorgeous red gerber daisies and yellow tiny mums that looked like miniature sunflowers). I caught Kyra walking, so I yelled at her "Get going!" Then I went and found Tim. We waited for Kyra and we waited for Kyra and we waited for Kyra. There were girls finishing the race and we hadn't seen Kyra yet at all. We started to wonder if she quit. How was it taking so long?

Then we saw her...jogging along. She kept going and she even pushed herself up this hill.

She jogged past us on the road.

She headed out for the rest of her run. Tim and I yelled to her "don't quit" and I yelled "no more walking". We headed back towards the center of the course to wait for her to run by. I'm pretty sure that she got lost, which has happened in all of her races this year, because next thing we know, she comes up to us and has been finished "for awhile." She may or may not have cut the course short.

The moral of this long story is that Kyra didn't quit. She did something that was SUPER HARD for her. She stuck with it. She even wants to run cross country again next year. And she wants to train for a 1/2 marathon. I can't wait to start the training... *insert evil laugh*

Needless to say, we are SO PROUD of her! She proved to herself that SHE CAN DO HARD THINGS! What a great thing to be able to say about herself! I think that the feeling of self worth that comes from running (or whatever challenging activity you enjoy) will always always always improve your view of yourself. I'll be sure and provide updates on how her running is improving.

Choose to Become

2011-10-11T17:33:00.002-05:00

In September, I had the opportunity to attend Time Out for Women here in Logan. For those of you who aren't familiar with this amazing awesome weekend, check out this website. It's basically an evening and a day of inspirational music and speakers for women only. I've gone 4 times and plan on continuing to go whenever I have the opportunity.

This year, the theme was "CHOOSE TO BECOME" which I LOVE! This is something I've spent alot of time thinking about and I think I'm finally ready to write about my goals. During the opening remarks, we were encouraged to DISCOVER ALL OF OUR POSSIBILITIES. We were encouraged to make a list of things that come to mind and we were reminded of the scripture in Mark, that ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Here is the list of things that I wrote down.

Writing a book
Becoming a strong cyclist
Setting a PR at the 70.3 triathlon distance
Taking voice lessons
Completing an iron-distance triathlon

As I sat down and pondered (yes, I've actually been giving this quite a bit of thought), I noticed that, of course, 3 of my goals involve triathlon and training. Since I got engaged, I've let my training and racing goals slide quite a bit. No excuses for that...except getting married, getting a puppy, having 2 part time teenagers, moving to a new state, etc etc etc. I also feel like I've had to sort of figure out who this "new" AJ is and what she looks like. That probably sounds funny, but it's sort of hard to explain.

So, in an effort to establish my goals and start moving forward, I'm posting my CHOOSE TO BECOME goal.

I'm CHOOSING TO BECOME A TRIATHLETE...AGAIN...specifically an long distance triathlete.

In order for this to happen, there are several things that need to take place. Things like losing weight, getting back into the "training" habit, finding a place to swim that's not 20 minutes away and only open from 5-6:30am, etc.

I've sort of put together a rough draft of a timeline for this happening...hopefully, it will play out this way, but I also know that life is tricky sometimes, so... we'll see what happens.

October 2011-January 2012 - Work on losing weight and regaining strength and fitness. Work on cleaner eating.

February 2012 - Start training for Boise Ironman 70.3

May 2012 - Run the Ogden 1/2 Marathon (one of my favorites) with my hubby, Kyra (my step-daughter) and my friend, Andrea.

June 2012 - Boise Ironman 70.3

September 2012 - Bear Lake Brawl 1/2 Ironman and hopefully (it's a lottery) LOTOJA with my Dad.

At some point, I would like to sign up for an Iron-distance triathlon. I'm sort of thinking Ironman St George, Ironman Arizona, or maybe Ironman Coeur D'Alene, but we'll see. I know that in order to train for an IM I absolutely need my whole team (ie. hubby, kids, dog, etc) on board.

So, that's it...that's my CHOOSE TO BECOME goal. I've already cut out the candy from my diet, started focusing on eating lots more fruits and veggies, journaling my food, and most importantly, working out 6 days a week. Now, I just need the scale to start dropping, and my fitness level going back up. I'm hoping that the blog will be a good way to keep myself honest and up front about how this whole journey is going.

Oh, and I need to remember that

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM (or her) WHO BELIEVETH!

What Have I Been Up To???

2011-10-10T09:36:00.009-05:00

Yes, I have seriously neglected this blog. Life has been insane. I'm learning that pretty much life is always insane, so I need to just embrace it. Here's a brief (probably not so brief) list of what we've been doing in the last several months.

June 4 ~ Did 50 miles of the Little Red Riding Hood Century Ride. I had to stop at the midpoint in order to head to Dallas, TX with Tim for his mom's bypass surgery. Tim and I spent our 1 year anniversary there, mostly hanging out in the hospital. The good news is that his mom came through a quadruple bypass with flying colors. The bad news is that we had to cancel our week long trip to Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks.

June 14-16 - Ward Youth Conference. Our youth went down to Camp Utaba in Ogden Canyon and had a Back to Basics Boot Camp. This included playing in Pineview Reservoir...which I skipped due to my aversion to freezing cold water, a ropes course, along with several team building activities, a fireside by a magician, and a trip to the Salt Lake Temple to do baptisms for the dead. President Thomas S. Monson stopped in to speak with the Young Men. It was truly awesome!

June 17-18 - WasatchBack Ragnar Relay. Yep, I did it again. I was runner #7 and we had a blast. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it again next year, but my friend Chelsey and I are considering Ragnar Colorado???

June 24-25 ~ Tim and I, along with our friends, Tyler and KeniaAnn, headed down to the Miller Motorsports for Cruiserfest! Friday was a really fun trail ride. Tim has the pictures on the other computer, so I'll have to post them later. We stayed in Park City Friday night and had a great breakfast at the Eating Establishment. We also took the long way home...like from Toole, all around the west side of the Great Salt Lake, ended up in Snowville, UT, but did make it back to Logan. It was a blast and we can't wait to go next year!
July was pretty busy with garden stuff. I was picking peas like a crazy person, as well as weeding, watering, and staying busy with Young Women stuff.
July 15 ~ My new nephew Jay Edward Hansen was born. Yep, Karen and Eric had boy #2. He's adorable and of course, I'm his favorite auntie!
July 19-22 ~ Young Women Girls Camp ~ We headed up Ogden Canyon to Camp Liberty and spent the week camping with the girls. There were showers, which totally made my week and I took advantage of them daily! I also had an opportunity to bear my testimony about the importance of preparing to attend the temple. It was a really great experience. Oh...and I turned 33 while I was there.

July 23 ~ Tim and I, along with our friends Tyler, KeniaAnn, Brad, and Dustin, hiked the Wellsvilles. The Wellsvilles are the steepest mountains in the world and they happen to be right across the valley from us, so up we went. I think it might have been the hardest hike I've ever done. Tim said he would rather do the Narrows, although I'm not so sure about that. It took us about 8 hours and was fun, but I'm not sure I'll need to do it again in my life. I ended up with stinging nettle on my legs, as well as a nice sprained ankle. There were also many falls on the way down...that's how steep it was!

July 30 ~ Tim and I took the cruiser up Franklin Basin Road in Logan Canyon. The drive was gorgeous. The wildflowers were amazing. We even came across a plane crash site from the Korean War.

August 6 ~ Tim and I took the kids on a hike up Green Canyon. It's a 4 mile hike round trip, but is pretty steep on the way up. It was a challenge, but it was really cool to hear the kids talk about how cool it was to be able to do that and how overcoming challenges helps us in our life. Definitely a fun day!

August 13 ~ Tim and I, along with our friends Andrea and Tom, and my Dad, rode our bikes up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. It was super windy when we got to the mouth of the canyon, but all the hard work was well worth it when we came flying down the canyon! We made plans to ride again last weekend, but the cold, wet weather changed our minds.

August 17-21 ~ Tim and I took the kids to spend the weekend with my family in Park City. We swam alot, went to the Farmers Market, hung out with cousins, went to church, Tim and my Dad went mountain biking, played ping pong, and had alot of fun. That will be a new family tradition I'm sure. Although, I'm planning to take my road bike since there's so many great places to ride.

August 19 ~ While we were in Park City, Tim and I took the kids down to Timpanogos Cave in American Fork Canyon. Once again the trail was steep, but we had lunch at the top and the tour was awesome. I will admit to feeling claustrophobic and a little freaked out, but I did it...with a smile on my face. The drive through the Alpine Loop was gorgeous as well.

August 27 ~ I ran the last 7 miles of the Top of Utah 1/2 marathon with my Mom and her friend Tami. They actually got medals this year, which made me want to do it next year.

September 3 ~ Man vs. Mud... Tim and I, our friends Tyler and KeniaAnn, and Tom and Andrea, along with lots of others did the mud run at the American West Heritage Center. I don't have any pictures, because I didn't run with my camera. That turned out to be a good thing, since we had to go down super steep fast waterslides (I almost got taken out by a super big guy, after I slid off the slide and almost into a fence), we had to swim/crawl/muck through a good 1/4 mile of 5 foot deep trench, we had to swim across a super freezing cold pond. Yep, it was a blast. Definitely it will become a Labor Day weekend tradition.
September also involved canning 50+ quarts of green beans, 150+ quart bags of frozen corn, 50+ containers of freezer jam and at least 100 pints and 75 quarts of salsa. I also froze zucchini, both shredded and sliced for my winter cooking. My first attempt at zucchini bread last week was a hit, so I'll have to remember to freeze more shredded zucchini for next year. Apparently, I have become quite domestic.
Also, in September, we've been spending lots of time driving around to Rylan's soccer games. He's playing on a competitive team, so that means lots of practices and games. He loves it and we're enjoying it as well.

September 16-17 ~ I got to go to Time Out for Women, with my friends Chelsey and Amy. The theme this year was Choose to Become. The speakers and music were AWESOME! It was super inspirational and I've been working on what I've chosen to become. I can't wait to go again next year!

September 25 ~ Tim took me on a drive up to Bloomington Lake in Idaho. I've ridden my bike around Lake Bloomington in IL several times, but who knew there was another Bloomington Lake. It was gorgeous and definitely the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Yep, I've been busy. I'm pretty sure I haven't listed everything, but like I said, I've been super busy. :) Hopefully, I can do a little better job of keeping up on the blog now that I'm caught up.

Peanut Butter Caramel Corn

2011-10-10T09:02:00.004-05:00

I found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine and since I love peanut butter, I decided to try it. I should mention that I'm not a huge fan of caramel corn. In my world, popcorn is meant to be salty. However, since I do love peanut butter, I thought this might be awesome. To me, it tastes alot like cracker jacks. The popcorn was a hit. Everyone, except me, who has eaten it can't say enough good things about it. In fact, I think the most common comment was, "This stuff is addicting. I can't stay out of it." So, while I don't love it, I think it was a success and has been added to my recipe box.

Here's the recipe. Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
2 T. canola oil
1/2 C. unpopped popcorn kernels
1/2 C. sliced almonds
2/3 C. packed brown sugar
2/3 C. light Karo syrup
2 1/2 T. butter
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
1 t. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250.
2. Line a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper; coat paper with cooking spray.
3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Ad popcorn; cover and cook 4 minutes, shaking pan frequently. when popping slows remove pan from heat. Let stand until popping stops. Uncover; add almonds. ***I used a non-stick pan for this. I also poured the popcorn into a large paper bag to absorb the excess oil. I also wanted to keep the unpopped kernels out of the caramel corn, so I scooped the popcorn onto the pan, leaving the kernels in the bag. I sprinkled the almonds onto the popcorn, after it was on the jelly-roll pan.***
4. Combine sugar, syrup, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla; stir until smooth. Drizzle over popcorn; toss well Spread mixture out onto prepared pan. Bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely. ***I drizzled the sauce over the popcorn on the pan, instead of trying to spread a sticky mixture onto parchment paper.***

Other notes:
-I doubled the batch to share. It made 2 large ziplock bags full.
-The recipe says that it will serve 20 people. Each serving size is about 3/4 cup. The nutritional information can be found on the recipe link.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think!

What's for Dinner?

2011-07-18T21:02:00.003-05:00

Yes, I have been a total slacker...I have a million things to write about, but haven't taken the time to sit down and tackle all of our adventure stories. However, tonight, after making dinner, I realized that dinner is definitely blog worthy. So, here's the recipe. I did want to mention that I was planning on making this recipe, from Cooking Light, but I didn't have all of the ingredients, so I adapted. Oh, and I'm not sure what to call this recipe, so I'll take suggestions.

Ingredients:
2 frozen deep dish pie crusts (I don't make my own pie crust.)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. diced onion
garlic powder to taste
1 c. frozen spinach, unthawed, drained, and dried
1 c. sliced zuchini
1 tomato, thinly sliced
5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 c. 2% milk
1 t. salt
1 t. crushed red pepper
1 t. thyme

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Saute mushrooms, onions, spinach, and garlic in olive oil.
3. Bake pie shells for 15 min.
4. Turn oven down to 350.
5. Add vegetables and bacon to pie shells and cover with cheese.
6. Mix eggs and milk and seasonings in bowl and then pour over pie crusts.
7. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 min on a wire rack.

Anyways, it's cool and time for dinner. Hopefully, it tastes as good as it looks!

Sunday Dinner with the New CrockPot

2011-05-29T14:37:00.011-05:00

I've actually had a request to add more recipes to my blog, so here's one of my favorites. We just finished an awesome Sunday dinner, thanks to my trip to the farmer's market and my new crock pot.

Dinner started off with a salad of fresh gourmet greens, including some amazingly delicious arugula. There were also vine ripened tomatoes, radishes, sliced olives, and shredded cheese.

I started cooking the swiss chicken this morning, so it was ready when we got home from church. It's a super easy meal that we all enjoy. Since Kona woke up at 6:30am, the chicken was started at 6:45am, and was cooking by 6:55am.

Step 1. Spray the crockpot with cooking spray.

Step 2. Place the chicken breasts or chicken tenders on the bottom of the crockpot. I usually use chicken tenders, or if I use the chicken breasts, I make sure they're thin.

Step 3. Pour 3 cans of cream of chicken soup, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, and 3 small cans of mushrooms on the chicken.

Step 4. Cover the soup mixture with slices of swiss cheese.

Step 5. Dump a package of stuffing (I used 2) on top of the cheese.

Step 6. Cook on low for 8 hours.

So, when we got home from church, I made the salads. Tim grilled the asparagus (also from the farmer's market).

Tim dished up the swiss chicken and threw away a slice of cheese. He thought it was some sort of "skin". I mention this only to warn you what you might find under the stuffing, and also so you won't throw away one of the best parts of the meal!

So, Sunday dinner at our house was a hit today. Oh and we have enough leftovers that we'll have more chicken again later this week.

Saturdays are Busy

2011-05-28T21:20:00.013-05:00

This has been a super busy Saturday. Kona woke me at 5:30am to go outside and then I was awake, so I decided to head out for a run.

I actually got 6 miles done and felt great! When I got home, I took Kona for a walk around the neighborhood to cool down. He decided he was in kind of a naughty mood.

Then it was home for a shower. At some point, Kona found a kleenex box and we ended up with this in our living room.

Tim and Rylan headed off to put the bumper on the cruiser (more on that in a minute) and I headed to the Cache Valley Gardener's Market. Tim says I am a sucker for farmer's markets and he's probably right. I went with the intention of buying some lettuce. I came home with 2 bags of gourmet organic lettuce, a bag of spinach, a bag of over the top delicious arugula, a jar of raspberry jam, 2 mini strawberry pies, 2 mini razzleberry tarts, and a bunch of radishes. I'm thinking that Tim is probably right.

When I got home, I dropped off the yummy goodness I bought, and Kyra and I headed to my parents. We were planning on finishing planting our vegetable garden, but the soil is too wet, so we helped my parents plant 25 arctic willow bushes.
Here's the before picture.

Here's the after picture.

Oh and in the middle of this, Kona decided that he's lost his fear of water and went to play in the canal.

He got to come home smelling like a swamp.

When the planting was done, we headed out to Tim's dad's house, except we had to turn around and head home to bring the jeep Tim's dad is selling to a mechanic for an inspection. Anyways, Tim came to pick us up and we headed to McDonald's for a quick lunch. Then, we got to spend the next 5 hours helping Tim put the new 200 lb bumper on the cruiser.

Here's the mostly finished product.

In the middle of all of this, Tim sold his dad's jeep. Here's my father-in-law's dance of joy!

I headed home with the kids and pulled out the chicken for dinner tomorrow, as well as the frozen pizza for dinner tonight.

While dinner was cooking, it was off to McDonalds to pick up our movies. We love the redbox!

So, now we're lying in bed, with Kona, watching "Knight and Day"...dumb movie, but entertaining... I'm just glad that the day is almost over.

So...I Guess We Need a New Crock Pot

2011-05-17T19:36:00.002-05:00

Dinner tonight was supposed to go much better than last night, however...

It started off great. The spaghetti sauce simmered in the crock pot all day. The salads were made. The garlic bread was toasted perfectly. The pasta was a very nice al dente. Tim and I ate our dinner and I started to clean up...

That's when it happened. Our beloved crock pot slipped into the sink while I was putting the sauce into tupperwares for the freezer, and the handle broke off. Tim asked if I needed to take Kitchen Safety 101 over again.

Perhaps, I should be done cooking this week.

You Know Dinner is Going to Suck When the Steaks are on FIRE!

2011-05-16T21:02:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago, Tim's dad gave us some ribeye steaks. I'm not a fan of ribeyes, but Tim likes them so I decided to cook them tonight. Apparently, that was a very bad idea.

This morning I marinated the steaks in Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. I let them sit out while the grill warmed up, and cooked the mashed potatoes. I put the steaks on the grill and looked at my watch so I could turn the steaks over after 4 minutes. I prefer a rare to medium rare steak, so after 4 minutes, I went to check on the steaks and they were on fire...literally, on fire...like I had to blow out the flames when I flipped them. Of course, Kona had to poop in the middle of all this. Welcome to my life...

I turned the steaks over, turned the grill down to low heat, took the dog out for his evening dump, and hurried back inside to get the steaks off the grill. They were still on fire.

So, I pulled them off and yes, I did have to blow out the flames on the steaks, let them rest and finished the mashed potatoes and broccoli. I told Tim I cremated the steaks. He didn't believe me until he walked into the kitchen and saw them. Because he's such a great guy, he laughed, and said, "I'm sure they'll taste great with salsa on them."

We both ate our ribeye jerky and I decided that I will leave the ribeye grilling up to Tim. Oh and I should mention that I actually do an awesome job cooking steaks.

A Busy Couple of Weeks

2011-05-16T13:21:00.012-05:00

So, we're halfway through May and I haven't had a second to blog about life. Here's what's been going on...

-Spring is here. With spring has come some flooding...now I should clarify that flooding in UT is much different than flooding in the midwest.

This waterfall is NEVER there, so it's definitely flooding.

- We've been going to lots of Rylan's soccer games. I always forget my camera, so no pictures. It's been a discouraging season because his team hasn't scored ANY goals. I think Ry will be glad when it's over.

- We're still working on the cruiser. Tim has all of the pictures of that, but I think we're getting closer to being done. There are still several tasks, like building the mounting brackets for the ARB compressor, putting the carpet back in the rear, mounting the new bumper, and putting on the roof rack. I'm hopeful it will be done soon, but we'll see.

- I've been learning to crochet and have actually made 3 pair of baby booties. My new nephew will be getting some camo booties when he arrives in July.

- My friend and the best massage therapist in the world got married on Friday.

If that dress looks familiar, it's because she bought it from me. Yep, that's the dress I was married in. She made some changes and the dress looked absolutely gorgeous on her.

- The tulips are out!

- I'm doing the Little Red Riding Hood Century ride in a couple of weeks and the Ragnar Relay a couple of weeks after that, so I've been running with Kona and even took Oscar out for a spin this weekend. I'm hoping to get out and ride a bunch more in the next few weeks. This morning before my run, Kona and I saw two sandhill cranes "dancing" in the field next to our house. Of course, my camera didn't get any "dancing" shots, but I did get a not great picture of the cranes.

We also saw a couple of deer laying in a field while we were running. See if you can see them in this picture!

So, that's what I've been up to for the past couple of weeks. Things are going to get pretty busy here, pretty soon. Tim and I were looking at the calendar and we have something planned every weekend until the middle of July. Yep, life is truly good!

The Month of April

2011-04-29T16:31:00.004-05:00

So, it's April 29 and it's snowing here in Cache Valley and I thought I could share a few of the things that I did this month. Here goes...

- Watched and listened to General Conference.
- Helped Tim cut a hole out of the back of the LandCruiser and built a cargo box to go into the hole in the back of the LandCruiser.
- Spent many, many mornings out at Tim's dad's working on the LandCruiser, doing things like removing the third members so they could be regeared for lockers, repacking the bearings, putting on new brakes, sanding/grinding out all of the "stuff" on the inside of the Cruiser so it could be rhino-lined, cleaning bearings and parts and axles and other stuff. Yep, alot of the month was spent doing LandCruiser stuff. Oh, and I also helped remove all of the seats, panels, and carpet from the inside before we could sand/grind. And yes, I do actually know what all of this stuff means and does. It's been quite a learning curve.
- Took Kona to dog class every Monday night so that he could learn new tricks and be all prepared for his dog show tomorrow!
- Went to several Young Women activities and meetings, and taught a couple of lessons.
- Drove up to Lava Hot Springs with the kids over Spring Break.
- Attended Kyra's patriarchal blessing which was an awesome experience.
-Went to Rylan's soccer games.
- Got a massage.
- Had an awesome Easter Dinner at my parents with Tim, Eric and Karen, Amy, Andrew and Liam, and Chelsey, Dustin, Brody, and Noah.
- Got my eyes checked...they still work.
- Watched my cute nephews and niece.
- Baked many chocolate chip cookies and tried some new recipes with varied success.
- Planned our 1 year anniversary trip.

Tomorrow is the last day of April and I think it will be the busiest. Kyra and I are going to the church to make pizzas for the Young Women camp fundraiser. Kona has his dog shows in the afternoon. My mom is having girls night and we're having pedicures and massages. I'm pretty sure I'll be gone most of the day, but what a way to end the month.

I keep thinking that married life will slow down...but, it never seems to. I guess I'd better just get used to it. May...here we come!

Update on Kona

2011-04-09T10:41:00.003-05:00

So, life has been super busy lately. No surprise there. I have some stories I need to post, but I can't find the pictures yet, so I'll have to work on them later. Instead I've decided to post an update on our cute dog Kona.

Kona is now 10 months old. I weighed him last week and he's up to 117 lbs. He's tall...tall enough that he can drink out of the sink. Actually his head comes up to our bar, so that might give you some perspective. Speaking of the sink...the other day, I caught him licking a cereal bowl that one of the kids left in the sink with milk and floating lucky charms. Yep, he's that big...

Here are some of his favorite things to do:

- Snuggle on the love seat in the office while dad works.
- Zoomies around the living room and up and down the stairs, around the basement, between the kids' beds, etc. Just zoomies in general.
- Gutting his stuffed animals.
- Going on walks. He has spring fever and LOVES to be outside.
- Pointing at birds. Apparently, he thinks he's a bird dog.
- Training!

As far as the training goes, he's still in dog school, but we're going to stop for the summer since our Saturdays have become quite busy. However, he's training for a dog show! Our vet has a health clinic in the spring and this year, they've invited the dogs in dog school to perform some tricks. It's on April 30 at Mountain View Veterinary Clinic in Providence, UT. Kona has learned several new tricks, but mostly he just likes to watch the other dogs. Tim is certain this event is going to be a circus in all senses of the word, but we'll see. Kona and I have been working hard so hopefully, he'll at least do some of the tricks he knows. I'm hoping that Tim will record this event so I can post it on here, but we'll see.

Anyways, Kona is awesome. He definitely adds alot of joy and happiness in our lives and much laughter. I'll definitely let you know how the "circus" goes!

Braveheart 5K - First Race of 2011

2011-03-19T16:26:00.003-05:00

This morning was our first race of 2011. I didn't want to go. I woke up early to take care of my parents' dogs and came home and crawled back in bed. I was really really hoping that Tim would say "Let's skip the race and stay home in our warm bed." Nope...he got up and got ready and so I decided to get it together and head out.

The Braveheart 5k-10k is a local race here in Logan, sponsored by the USU ROTC and the funds raised go to a local "need". The "need" this year was for a woman in my parents ward named Molly. Her son Mason was born with a congenital heart defect and as you can imagine, the costs are staggering. He's doing well and has had his second surgery and will be "cured" after his third surgery. Anyways, we thought it was a GREAT cause, which is why we decided to run.

We picked up Kyra and headed up to the university to get registered. I was overwhelmed with the number of runners and walkers who showed up. I'm guessing (from bib numbers) that there were about 500 participants which was awesome! There was some confusion at the start due to the number of people, but at 9:15 the 5k participants (that's us!) headed out.

Tim planned on staying with Kyra, who is not a runner, and told me to go ahead and run, so off I went. I got stuck around these super annoying college girls who were just whiny, so I sped up a bit and got past them. I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard and I was feeling good so I just kept up my pace. I skipped the water stop and kept plodding along. I looked at my watch and was trying to gauge how far I had run and how much further I had to go, but I had no idea what my pace was.

When I left this morning, I mentally set a goal to finish in under 36 minutes. I haven't been running much at all, except for a few runs in the past couple of weeks, so I was thinking that 12 min/mile would be a good pace. Boy was I surprised when I finished in 32:07! I can't believe that I did 11 min/miles and I probably should have/could have gone faster!

Once I crossed the finish line, I headed back out to find Tim and Kyra. I found Tim easily. He was about 6 minutes behind me. He told me to go and find Kyra and that she was far back. I kept running and running and was thinking "yikes, where is she?!" when I finally found her. I guess she had about 1.25 or so miles to go. I got her jogging for 1 minute intervals and then we found Tim. We could see the finish line and Kyra wanted to walk. I told her to catch the woman in the blue jacket ahead of her and beat her. All of the sudden, Ky had this burst of speed and off she went. I think her finish time was around 48 minutes.

After the race, we grabbed some super concentrated Gatorade...yummy! I also grabbed a slice of Great Harvest cinnamon bread and then it was time to head home to get ready for dog school. I'm so glad that Tim got me up to go to the race. I forgot how much I love racing. It was also a surprise to see that I'm not as out of shape as I thought. Now, I just have to get into better shape.

Racing is definitely not a bad way to kick off the weekend!

P.S. We forgot the camera this morning, so no pictures. Oh well...I'm sure there will be more races to come.

The Vacation in St. George

2011-03-14T13:06:00.018-05:00

Last Thursday morning, the family headed to St. George. My parents went. My brother Travis, his wife Brooke, and their kids, John, Kate, and Mac went. My brother Eric, his wife Karen, and their son Cole went. Tim, Kyra, Rylan, and I also went after we dropped Kona off at the dog hotel. So, yep, there was a big caravan of Hansen's that drove from Logan to St. George on Thursday afternoon.

When we arrived, the kids all wanted to hit the pool, so we spent a couple of hours laying out in the sun and enjoying the 73 degree temperature. Dinner was at The Brick Oven. Oh and Tim and I had to hit the Eddie Bauer Outlet so that he could get some of his very most favorite t-shirts. The evening was spent back at the pool and relaxing. I should also mention that I found out that I'm going to be an auntie to a new baby boy, hopefully on my birthday!

Friday morning, we woke up and hit the delicious continental breakfast and then it was off to Snow Canyon State Park. The kids wanted to hike and climb on the rocks and that seemed like the perfect place. We headed to the sand dunes first.

After the sand dunes, we headed to the trail to see the "pioneer names". The names were written in axle grease, as early as 1881. It was pretty cool to see. I almost got to see John face plant on his way down from the pioneer names.

The kids, especially Rylan, wanted to climb on some more rocks, so we headed over to Pioneer Park, which was definitely the hit of the weekend. I think we spent a couple of hours there and all of the kids had a blast.

We spent the afternoon with my grandparents, swimming, and then ended up back at the hotel. Tim decided we were going to go for a drive out in the desert to shoot, so off we went again. Somehow, we ended up in Arizona on a dirt road and out of nowhere, a sign for the Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site appeared so we headed that direction. Tim decided that this dirt road was the perfect place for Kyra's first driving lesson, so she changed seats with him and away we went. She did okay...but definitely needs alot of practice. We found the site and it was super cool.

The kids got bored after a little while, but I loved it. I thought it was really cool and definitely a hidden treasure.

I headed down the other trail and found this awesome picture. It looks like a timeline and I was totally amazed! I'm not a petroglyph expert, so I have no idea what it means, but it was super cool.

Oh and I finally got a picture of Tim and I!

On our way back to the car, I caught this cute moment...

Dinner that evening was at a Mexican restaurant and we ended up back at the pool. That night we all got a wakeup call at 2:30am when a very nice man's car alarm went off for 5 minutes. Tim didn't go back to sleep and needless to say the whole group was sleepy.

Saturday morning, we got up for breakfast, went swimming, and then loaded the cars up. The kids were definitely up for more time crawling around and up rocks, so we headed back up to Pioneer Park.

That's John, Kate, Rylan, and Travis up at the small arch. They climbed up to the top and ended up climbing around the entire ridge. They had a blast.

After lunch at Red Robin, we spent some time at a park and then we headed out to Larry and Nyla's condo for some basketball watching time. Dinner was with Eric and Karen at a pretty yummy Thai restaurant that included sushi. My cute nephew Cole decided that he loves sushi and worked on mastering the art of chopsticks!

After dinner, we grabbed some frozen custard at Nielson's Frozen Custard and headed back to watch Utah State beat Boise State to win the WAC. Sunday morning, we loaded up and then headed back to Logan. It was kind of a sad drive, since we were leaving the land of sunshine, but I'm pretty sure that we'll have to head back there soon. It was a fun trip and I'm looking forward to our next vacation!

Kona's First Training Run

2011-03-07T14:14:00.003-06:00

This morning, when Tim woke up, he asked Kona if he would like to go running. Apparently, our workout today was going to be a run. Kona has never gone running with us before, so this was a new experience for all of us. Because he's a great dane, we have to be careful with how much impact he has on his joints, especially since he's still a puppy and still has alot of growing and developing to do. We've got approval from the vet for him to start running, but the weather has been sort of iffy and we didn't want a filthy, muddy dog. So, today was the day!

As you can tell from the picture, Kona was ready to go! We didn't take the camera on the run, so no "running" pics, but Kona had a great time. He did pretty well and stayed fairly close to me or Tim for most of the run. He did start pulling on the leash on the way home. I think he was ready for his breakfast. Oh, and while we were on our run, we saw 7 deer. There were 3 bucks and 4 does. They were gorgeous!

After the run, Kona had breakfast and then wandered around the house, watching us clean. He's opposed to the vacuum, unless we're vacuuming him off, so he usually just paces around in whatever room we're not cleaning in. After things quieted down, and he got vacuumed off, he crashed. You can tell how wiped out he is in this picture.

What's for Lunch?

2011-02-25T15:53:00.003-06:00

I made fish tacos for lunch today and Tim said they looked so good, I should take a picture and put them on my blog. So here it is...

It was a super quick and easy lunch. I put the frozen tilapia in the oven for about 20 minutes and while it was cooking, I started the rice in the rice cooker. I added salt, pepper, and lime juice to the rice. I also poured a can of black beans into a pot and added lime juice, habanero pepper powder, and stirred it up and let it heat. I diced up the tomatoes and sliced the avocado and minced the fresh cilantro. When all of that was done, I started to heat up the corn tortillas on a griddle with a bit of olive oil. So, I plated it up, added some lime wedges, opened a jar of homemade salsa, and it was time to eat. Tim really enjoyed them and Kyra even liked them. I'm super full and I'm thinking that this will definitely be a repeat on our menu.

My Day Today

2011-02-21T22:06:00.003-06:00

Today was a busy day. A super busy day. Kona woke me up at 6:45am to go outside and then the rat race began. I headed to the store to pick up the rest of the ingredients for the elk stew I was making. I also put gas in my car. When I got home, I cut up the elk meat, peeled and cubed potatoes, sliced onions and started messing with the seasonings. Once that was all in the crock pot, I cleaned up the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dishwasher and then got ready to mop the floor. I cleaned the bathroom and mopped the floor. I dusted the bedroom and living room and vacuumed the entire house. Oscar and I had a date with the trainer, so we spent an hour doing intervals and I also did an upper body weight workout. I showered. I did 4 loads of laundry. I moved furniture and had lunch with Tim at Rumbi Island Grill. I cleaned up the basement. I listened and critiqued Tim's presentation. I took Kona out at least 17 times. Eric and Karen and Cole came over to clean carpets, so I watched Cole which was a treat. We went for a walk and saw a deer. We watched tv and he did lots of face plants on the bed. We ate cheese and fruit snacks. After the carpets were cleaned, we all had dinner together and enjoyed some fun conversations. So now, I'm on the couch watching Grey's Anatomy and Tim is practicing his presentation and Kona has crashed on the big bed.

Is it wrong to say that I'm really and truly glad that this day is over?!?

Weekly Workouts

2011-02-21T22:04:00.003-06:00

February 21 ~ 60 min on the trainer. I warmed up for 10 minutes and then did 2 min intervals with 3 min recovery for 45 min. I cooled down with one legged pedaling drills for 5 min. I also did Jiggle Free Arms, an upper body workout for 33 min.

February 22 ~ I did a 45 min dvd called Cardio Overdrive. I had intentions of lifting as well, but I'm tired so I stuck with a hard cardio workout instead. I burned 444 calories so I'll take it.

Weekly Workouts

2011-02-18T13:19:00.002-06:00

February 17 ~ 45 minute trainer ride...I did a 5 min warm-up and then intervals of hard spinning and I also did a 15 min ab workout.

February 18 ~ 31 min of cardio + 48 min of Hi Def Sculpt (used 10lb dumbbells).

My Life Lately

2011-02-16T19:47:00.003-06:00

Life has been seriously crazy lately and I have also been struggling with a complete and total lack of motivation. I think that the lack of motivation might be due to just the whole winter thing...I don't know. Anyways, here's what I've been up to lately...

- Doing the stay at home housewife stuff, like cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.
- Tim and I got new callings at church. I'm the new Mia Maid advisor which means I'm teaching the 14-15 year old girls. Tim got a cush calling and is in the Sunday School presidency.
- Planned and executed a great birthday party for Rylan involving dodge ball which was super fun. There has been a request for more family dodge ball parties.
- Working with Kona on his training. He's learned "on your spot" and he also got to go to a "teeth cleaning" class.
- Trying new recipes.
- I signed up for my first century ride. I'm doing the Little Red Riding Hood Century on June 4, 2011.
- Tim has a huge international presentation next week, so he's been over the top stressed out. I'll definitely be super happy when that is done...I'm sure he'll be even more happy.
- I put together a super romantic fun Valentine's gift for my super fabulous husband. Being married is a spectacular way to spend Valentine's Day.
- We found out that spring is coming soon. That is always happy news.
- I spent 2 days with my cute hubby pulling an engine, transfer case, and transmission out of the "extra" LandCruiser in the sunshine wearing a t-shirt and jeans. I even got some sun on my super pale body.
- I baked 160+ gingerbread hearts and helped my mom bake basketball, football, and baseball sugar cookies for Ry's birthday.
- Cheered the Aggies on to a win against a team...I can't remember which team but as always the Spectrum was fun and exciting.

So yep, that's my life lately...not too exciting, but definitely not boring either. I wonder how the rest of the month will be?

What's for Dinner?

2011-01-27T09:13:00.002-06:00

Today is going to be a busy day and tonight will be even busier, so I made dinner this morning after breakfast. We're having Taco Soup...except it's probably more of a taco chili. Anyways, here's the recipe.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups of beef broth
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of tomato sauce
1 jar of salsa (I usually use about a pint)
1 bag of frozen corn (or you can use a can of corn)
1 can of black beans
1 can of chili beans (I use the medium spicy ones)
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of green chilies
1 t. basil
1 t. oregano
1 package of taco seasoning
1 lb of lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped

Directions:
1. While hamburger is browning, I add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot. I also salt and pepper the hamburger while its cooking and I'll usually add garlic powder and chili powder to the beef as well. When the hamburger is brown, I add it to the pot.
2. Cook on low for 6 or so hours.
3. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream.

**This recipe also makes ALOT of soup, so we freeze a couple of containers to eat later. It is definitely tasty. We like it spicy, but you can adjust your seasoning to your taste. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Weekly Workouts

2011-01-26T18:55:00.002-06:00

1/24/2011 ~ 43 minutes of yoga. I was definitely sore in my arms and core after this workout. Yikes!

1/26/2011 ~ Today, I wasn't really feeling like working out, but I decided to just start a workout and see how it went. I did Hi-Def Sculpt and burned 405 calories. Then I decided to play Just Dance 2 for a few minutes which turned into an hour and I burned 520 calories. I'll take it...especially since I felt so crappy yesterday.

What's for Dinner?

2011-01-24T19:48:00.003-06:00

Tonight's dinner is one of my favorites. I call it "Asian Noodle Bowls." Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it!

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1 T. oil
4-5 chicken cutlets
1 med. onion, sliced
1 t. garlic (or more if you like garlic...we do)
3 c. chicken broth and water (I use all chicken broth)
8 oz. whole wheat angel hair pasta
2 T. lite soy sauce and cilantro (I usually don't have cilantro)
1-2 T. Sriracha (hot chili sauce)

Directions:
1. Microwave vegetables as directed.
2. Heat oil in pot over med-high heat. Add chicken to pot and cook 4-6 minutes, turning once, until cooked through. I usually add salt, pepper, and garlic to my chicken. Remove and slice.
3. Add onion to pot. Saute 3 minutes. Add garlic. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 7-8 minutes.
4. Add chicken to pot, with vegetables, soy sauce, cilantro, and chili sauce.

**This makes ALOT so we will be eating it tomorrow and maybe even Wednesday. I did add some fresh asparagus to the dish tonight since I had some on hand.

Kona and the Stuffed Dog

2011-01-24T17:58:00.004-06:00

While I was watching my new favorite reality tv show, "The Worst Cooks in America," my cute dog decided it was time to "gut" another one of his stuffed animals. This was after he had his bath and vacuuming. There were approximately 167 pieces of "stuffing" on the floor that I was lucky enough to get to pick up. Needless to say, the stuffed dog or less stuffed dog is put away.

Sunday Naptime

2011-01-23T17:12:00.004-06:00

We're watching football today. It's very exciting! Can you tell?!

P.S. Did anyone else notice the awkward position of Kona's weiner dog toy?! Apparently he was feeling modest today and covered up the no no place with his toy...

A Not so Great Friday

2011-01-21T20:32:00.008-06:00

Today was supposed to be a great day! We all slept in until 8am and then Tim decided we were going shooting, so we headed to Angie's and got some scones to go.

Yes, that is a big piece of fried dough with some delicious honey butter on the side. We proceeded to enjoy them on our way out to the shooting range at Newton Dam.

When we arrived, we had to put the Xterra in 4 wheel drive to get up the icy hill and we started loading clips while Kona ran around and took care of some business. I got to shoot the new Russian SKS that Tim bought last week. It had a little bit of a kick and I realized that next time I shoot it, I'll have to hug it into my shoulder a bit tighter.

After I shot the SKS, the shooting experience proceeded to go downhill. The GSG kept jamming, which was highly frustrating. Tim tried to teach me how to deal with a jammed gun, but I didn't have enough patience to learn. He shot his other new .22 and really enjoyed it.

We tried to get the GSG to work, but mostly we just got frustrated. Kona's feet got cold so we had to rearrange the car so he could lie in it. We definitely didn't shoot long enough, but since the day wasn't going great, we decided to head back home to get on with our day...which proceeded to head downwards...

I'm hoping today didn't set the tone for the weekend, but we'll see...

The Growing Dog

2011-01-20T18:35:00.003-06:00

Our dog is growing like crazy! He's almost 9 months old and he's still got another 15 months to grow. At dog school on Saturday, I weighed him. He now weighs 106 lbs. The Saturday before Christmas, he weighed 91 lbs. His head is right at my waist so he's also a tall boy. His favorite thing to do lately is to "gut" his stuffed animals. At least 3 times a day I get to walk around the house and pick up stuffing from the stuffed animals he's shredded. At this moment, he's playing with his armadillo that has no stuffing left in it. Oh, and he particularly enjoys removing the "squeakers." He's eating 8 cups of food a day and he gets to eat first thing in the morning, around noon, around 4pm, and then before bed. He is STARVING all of the time. I learned that great danes have super high metabolisms. It's absolutely true.

Kona has been struggling with cabin fever lately. A couple of weeks ago, Tim tied a birthday balloon to Kona's collar and let him out the front door. This was the result!

So yep, we're having a blast with our cute dog! Oh and I'll keep updating everyone on Kona's super fast growth.

Weekly Workouts

2011-01-17T17:09:00.005-06:00

1/17/2011 ~ I had a hard time getting motivated to do my workout today. I ended up doing Body Sculpt and lifted super heavy for my legs. I also played Just Dance 2 for an hour.

1/18/2011 ~ I didn't get started on my workout until 7:20pm...long day. I did Hard Core Fusion and burned 540 calories and then I played Just Dance 2 for 20 minutes and burned 198 calories.

1/19/2011 ~ I struggled with motivation again today. I'm not feeling great and am also feeling super tired. I started a workout (Maximum Calorie Burn Bootcamp) and got about 30 min into it and just couldn't work up the strength to do it. So, I thought, hey, I'll do Just Dance and that didn't work either. It didn't help that the dog needed to go out every 15 minutes. Oh well...at least I worked out.

1/20/2011 ~ I don't know what the deal is but I'm super tired which has definitely impacted my motivation this week. Tim and I rode our bikes today...on the trainer and we did some ab work with the medicine ball. I also did some dead lifts and squats. Definitely not a super hard workout, but it was a workout. I'll take it.

1/21/2011 ~ Still no motivation. I'm wondering if I'm fighting off a cold or something. I did 15 minutes of yoga while Tim was on the trainer. I just couldn't really work up the energy.

What's for Dinner?

2011-01-14T09:25:00.004-06:00

Tonight for dinner we're having my homemade spaghetti sauce...except for Rylan, who's having spaghetti sauce out of a jar. I've had lots of compliments on my sauce, so I thought I'd share the recipe. I will admit that I don't measure when I'm making this recipe, so feel free to adjust the seasoning to your preference. Oh, and one more thing...this does tend to be a bit on the spicy side, which is how we like it.

Ingredients:
5-6 medium cans of tomato sauce
1 can of olives, sliced (I slice my own, but you can buy the sliced too.)
1 lb of fresh mushrooms sliced, or 2 cans of sliced mushrooms
1 lb of spicy italian ground sausage
3 small zucchini, sliced
2 T. italian seasoning
1 T. onion powder or 1/2 an onion, diced
2 T. garlic powder or 3 cloves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown the sausage into small chunks. While the sausage is browning, combine the remaining ingredients into a crock pot. You can also use a big pot and let it simmer on low, but I always use the crock pot so I can walk away. After the sausage is done, stir all of the ingredients together. Let it cook on low for 4-6 hours. I always smell the sauce to see if it needs any more spices. When you're ready to eat, serve it over spaghetti. I usually serve this with a green salad and garlic bread.

I didn't add zucchini today because I didn't have any and also because the kids always pick it out. We like our sauce chunky so I used less sauce and more stuff, but that can be adjusted as well.

Feel free to use this recipe and if you do, let me know what you think!

What's for Dinner?

2011-01-11T19:28:00.005-06:00

I just finished cooking dinner and since this is one of our favorite meals, I thought I'd share the recipe. The inspiration of this recipe came from a Runners World recipe called Asparagus and Mushroom Rigatoni. I remember cutting out the recipe and wondering when I was going to make it...especially since I was single. When Tim came to visit me in IL sometime, he saw the recipe and asked if we could try it...so we did. However, we both decided that it needed some protein. Then, the experimenting started. I usually just use whatever I have, but here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
Whole wheat pasta
1 lb of shrimp (shelled and deveined) or chicken cut into bite size chunks
1 bunch of asparagus, broken into bite sized pieces
1 lb of sliced mushrooms (any variety)
1 tomato
1 lemon or lime
3 zucchini sliced
3 cloves of garlic or 3 T. garlic powder
3 T. olive oil
1 T. basil or parsley (We prefer fresh basil.)
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Directions: Boil the pasta. While it's boiling, I prepare the veggies. In an electric skillet, heat the olive oil and add the garlic. Add the mushrooms, zucchini, and asparagus. Add salt and pepper to taste. While that is sauteeing, add 1 cup of the pasta water. Let it cook down and then add the drained pasta. If I'm using chicken, I add that before the veggies. When I use shrimp, I add it with the pasta. I let the meat finish cooking, then right before I'm ready to serve it, I add the juice from the lemon or lime, the basil, and the tomato. Then I cover it with parmesan cheese and put the lid on until the cheese melts. Once the cheese is melted, it's ready to serve.

Since the kids won't eat this, I only make it when they're not here. It makes enough for us to have another meal out of. Tim loves it and it's one of my favorites. Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Enjoy!

How We Watch Football

2011-01-11T17:16:00.003-06:00

As you all know, last night was the BCS National Championship. Because Tim works until 8pm, I set the game up to DVR and we started to watch it at around 8:15pm. We enjoyed some rice and elk stew during the first quarter. Kona got to pre-wash the dishes and then it was time for some serious football watching. Kona decided to join us on the couch...and yes, he laid there for the rest of the game. He's definitely a snuggly dog.

P.S. Tim had hat hair...he's probably thrilled that this photo is on the blog!

My Life Today

2011-01-10T18:41:00.004-06:00

Just in case anyone got the idea that I have a totally cush life...here's what I did today. We did sleep in today. I got up at 7am with Kona and after he ate and pooped, we all went back to sleep. Kona LOVES Tim in the morning, so he snuggled him and laid on top of him and had a great morning nap. I'm not sure how Tim slept... Oh and yep, our dog is that big and we do have a king sized bed. So, after we all got up, I got to work on my list of things to do. Here goes...

1. Dusted the front room and vacuumed and picked up a bunch of stuffing that Kona pulled out of a stuffed moose.
2. Cleaned my bathroom, including sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing the toilet.
3. Dusted and cleaned my bedroom, and vacuumed it too.
4. Cleaned the kitchen, including the stove top.
5. Unloaded and loaded the dishwasher.
6. Washed Kona's bedding and cleaned and deodorized his house.
7. Watched the elk herd through the spotting scope. There are about 50 elk on the hillside.
8. Cleaned up stuffing from Kona's stuffed dog...and found the squeaker he pulled out.
9. Swept and mopped the kitchen floor.
10. Gave Kona a bath (with Tim's help).
11. Vacuumed Kona's fur off of his body. This is an upgrade from the usual lint rolling that we do.
12. Worked out...did two workouts and was covered in sweat.
13. Folded and put away laundry...colors and whites.
14. Washed towels. I'll fold them while we watch football.
15. Saw 10 deer within a block of our house, including 4 bucks.
16. Made tuna melts for lunch.
17. Read my scriptures.
18. Started making the menu and grocery list.
19. Called to schedule the carpets to get cleaned.
20. Sold the cupcake tower from the wedding.

Yep, it's been a busy day... I don't actually just lay around and eat bon bons. Oh and I still absolutely love my life.

Weekly Workouts

2011-01-10T18:35:00.007-06:00

1/10/2011 ~ This afternoon after cleaning the house, I did Jiggle Free Buns and Jiggle Free Arms. I burned 663 calories, which felt good. I'm considering doing some serious stretching during the football game tonight.

1/11/2011 ~ I just finished Ultimate Calorie Blaster. I burned 444 calories in 45 minutes. I had planned to add on another 30 minutes of cardio, but I'm dragging today so I'll settle for some stretching and abs while we watch The Biggest Loser tonight.

1/12/2011 ~ All done with Get Ripped to the Core. I only burned 486 calories, so I decided to do a few songs from Just Dance 2 and I burned 142 calories...and I scored over 10000 points on my last song. Oh yeah...who knew I was such a great dancer!

1/13/2011 ~ I had a change of workout plans this morning. We have the kids for the next few days so we were up at 6am to get them ready and out the door. I was planning on working out after they went to school, but I guess we're going to Idaho to buy a couple of Hudsons...seriously. So, I did a quick workout...Cardio Dance SlimDown and burned 334 calories. Now, it's off to Idaho.

1/14/2011~I haven't been feeling sore, so I decided to lift "heavy" today. I did Get Ripped and I'm kinda feeling like maybe I should have lifted heavier. I burned 316 calories in 55 minutes. I wanted to stretch out my muscles a little bit so I did 3 songs on Just Dance 2 and burned 96 calories. Not sure what workout I'll do tomorrow or when I'll fit it in.

1/15/2011 ~ Today we had family workout time playing Just Dance. I didn't wear my HR monitor but we did play for about 45 minutes and I worked hard. I found a really good ab workout. I do have a yoga mat in my bedroom so I may try to do a 30 min workout tonight after we get everything done today. Off to dog school with Kona.

Happy Birthday Tim!

2011-01-06T22:52:00.006-06:00

Today is Tim's 37th birthday. He's been telling me all week that he wanted to skip the day and that he didn't want any gifts and that he didn't want to even acknowledge the day. Yesterday, I asked him if he would be mad if I went all out for his birthday. He said "Yep." Last night I told him that I was going to celebrate his birthday whether he liked it or not and that if he got mad, I would cry.

So, this morning, I woke up and baked his cake. I made him breakfast. Then we spent the morning doing errands. When he started work at noon, I headed out to complete the birthday preparations. I picked up his and picked up the balloons. I learned that our dog is completely and totally opposed to balloons.

We went to pick up the kids and grab lunch at the Italian Place in Logan. We came home, ate lunch, and then it was time for cake and presents. Oh, I should mention that we also sang "Happy Birthday!"

I guess out of all of the pictures I took of opening gifts, this is the only one that turned out okay. Tim got a spotting scope, a flashlight, some Hot Tamales, picture frames, and Call of Duty 4. Of course he had to try out the spotting scope.

I'm pretty sure our neighbors think that a peeping tom lives at our house.

After presents, it was cake time. Tim and I liked the cake. Rylan scraped off all of the frosting and only ate cake. Kyra somehow managed to remove the crushed pineapple chunks from the frosting...I caught her spitting them out. I have no idea how she managed to do that. There is still a ton of cake in the freezer. I guess we have our dessert for the next week.

When Tim finished work, we headed to La Nonne for dinner. We had the bruschetta for an appetizer and then Tim had some sort of beef with gorgonzola sauce, and I had a delicious rare ahi tuna steak with fresh tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Mine was so good and I can't wait to finish it at lunch tomorrow. It was also fairly light and healthy so that was definitely a bonus. I had all intentions of taking pictures at dinner, but I completely forgot.

When we got home, I remembered to take a picture of Tim and I. Of course, we look completely exhausted, but hey, it was a super busy day.

Hopefully, Tim had a good birthday...

The Birthday Cake

2011-01-06T09:59:00.007-06:00

Today is Tim's birthday and all week he's been kinda crabby about it. I have no idea why, but he didn't want any gifts, didn't want to do anything, and told me he would get made at me if I did do anything. I decided to suffer his wrath.

So, when I woke up this morning, I baked his favorite cake. The first time he had this was with my family in the summer of 2009. I'm pretty sure that he ate 1/2 of the cake. We also used this cake recipe for our wedding cupcakes. It's called "Snowflake Cake" and I thought I'd share the recipe with you all...just in case you feel like trying it.

Snowflake Cake

Here are the ingredients, except I forgot to pull the milk out of the fridge for pictures.

Step 1:
Drain and save the pineapple juice from the big can of crushed pineapple.
Step 2:
Make the yellow cake mix, using the drained pineapple juice in place of water in the cake. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees in a jelly roll pan. Let cool. Since it's 7 degrees outside today, I put the cake outside to cool.

Step 3: When the cake is cool, blend the following:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
2 cups of cold milk
Fold in drained pineapple
It should look something like this.

Step 4: Spread the mixture over the cake.

Step 5: Spread cool whip over the top of the pudding mixture and sprinkle with coconut.

Step 6: Cover and refrigerate.

**I used sugar free pudding, fat free cream cheese, skim milk, and lite cool whip.

We plan on enjoying this yummy goodness today after we pick the kids up from school, and probably before going to bed tonight. My dad did request that we save some for him, so I'll have to make sure and remember to do that.

Feel free to try this recipe and let me know what you think!