2010

2009 is over and I have to say overall, it wasn't a bad year for us. I mean yeah we have had some money issues but who doesn't really. Brandon got his Journeymen's license and I finished school. The kids are healthy and getting so big. I am serving at Applebees and I really do enjoy it. Even when it is all crazy busy. Karilynn moved to Colorado which is really not a good thing, but she seems to be doing great there. I have manage to maintain my 102 pounds. And we just got a treadmill. Brandon is gonna join a weightloss comp and I am really excited to be here to support him with that. Well that is about all I have to say right now. Thanks for taking the time to read. Love you all!

Weightloss

I am writing this short blog to let you all know that I have reached my goal weight of 105 pounds and now have no clothes that will fit me anymore!

Lets all Live Strong!!

This year is the year of Biggest Losers. People all over the U.S. are joining in the fad of losing weight. I too am guilty of following the pack on this one and have joined in on a friendly neighborhood competition. Once a week, at the same time of the night we all go to a friends house to weigh in and track our progress on a chart. Now, I know that there is now way that I can win this competition due to the fact that my overall weightloss goal percentage is very small in comparision to everyone elses, but this one I am not in it to win it. It is simple giving me the strength and encouragement to keep going and accomplish my goal. I am sure you all will think I am crazy when I say this but anyone who knows me knows how vertically challenged I am. My goal is 105 pounds. Which is about 5 pounds more then I weighed 10 years ago before I had Whitney. I have never really considered myself to be overweight but in light of my recent venture into my 30's I have decided that it is time for me to start caring about my body.

I found this awesome website called LiveStrong.com where I can track all my exercising and my calorie intake and I have become pretty much obsessed with it. I never really looked at calories before and have always been around 120 pounds. I pretty much have learned to accept my weight and thought that giving up and foods I love was just not worth it. Let me tell you, actually knowing how many calories are in certain foods has completely changed my mind. Instead of looking at a can of soda or an order of french fries as worth the calories I am looking at them as not worth wasting the calories. I look at my daily intake and then decide if I would rather have a fuller dinner, meaning more meats and carbs, or waste a few hundred calories and a cup of pop or a candy bar and pretty much starve when it comes dinner time and guess what, the meats always win. I set my goal to lose 1 pound per week, which gives me a calorie intake of 1500 at a lightly active level, and I have been staying under my calorie intake. I have literly lost exactly what livestrong.com says I should be and I am not starving myself to do it! I also take 30 minutes out of my day 4 days a week to walk on a treadmill and even though I am not overly exercising, I am exercising and it feels good. Its only around 300 calories burned each time, it's still progress to me. And my dad and mom are usually home when I am using there treadmill so it gives me some time to talk with them without the interuption of little children.
Last year I played ward baseball which was fun but not really much exercise and now we are in the middle of ward basketball. The first time I played I was so out of breathe and I hurt so bad for 2 days after the game. Since I have been walking/running I feel as if I am much more in shape. I can play for longer and not get as tired, (although I do still nned a break out after 5 minutes) and my body does not hurt at all after the game. After 4 weeks of counting my calories and exercising I am pretty much addicted to it. And I have gotten the people around me to start doing it as well. Brandon has not yet taken into it himself, but he is supportive of me and patient about my obsession of not eating more calories then needed.
4 weeks ago I started this at 118 pounds and now I weigh 114. I am not looking to lose a ton of weigh because lets be frank, I don't really have a ton to lose, but I am in control of myself and my metablism and it is paying off. Plus, I stopped sleep eating. Yeah. So all in all, I am feeling pretty good!!!

Snow days!

Today we went to Harvest Hills Elementary school to play on their hills. Zack got a snowboard for Christmas and we wanted to see if he could ride it. We didn't have any sleds or tubes to ride on. My mother in law went in search of a sled and every store she went to was out. She finally went back to Walmart and purchased some really cheap alumimin pizza cooking sheets and a block of ice. When we got to the school it was pretty crowded but I was excited because it has some really great hills. The girls each grabbed a pizza sheet and guess what, they worked so good. My father in law payed a boy a dollar to let us borrow his extra sled so we took turns and everyone was having fun. Kirtsen loved it and couldn't wait until someone would take her down the hill again. Brandon and I went for a ride and crashed into a trailer. It was pretty funny actually. Zack was doing pretty good and didn't cry at all even though he fell down alot.
Brandon took Kirtsen down once and was going way too fast. He tried to slow down but this only made his shoes fly off into the air. Just when I thought he was going to stop he went down another smaller hill which took them right smack into the back of the trailer. They weren't hurt at all which is good because his mom and I laughed so hard we almost peed our pants. My mother in law got alot of really awesome pictures which made the day even better.


It felt really good to be out and doing something that was so much fun when I have been so down. Life just seems to be getting harder for us so today was just what we needed. And I actually got Brandon to take a picture .



















Which I think is pretty much the cutest picture ever!!!

Will this ever stop?

I know I haven't blogged in a long time. I find I never do anything that is exciting enough blog about. It is almost the New Year and let me just say...2008 sucked. This Electricial business in turning out to be a real pain in the butt. Today, Brandon got laid off again. I know its not his bosses fault that the economy is shot, but I am on my last rope here. Just when I am thinking things are turning around someone drops a bomb on me.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.....yet!

It has been a very long time since I have posted a blog and alot has happened so this may take a while. To break it down we have had in our family... 1 baby, 1 Triple Bypass Surgery that didn't work, one total hysterecimy (my mom in law), 1 Wedding in which I was privelged to Cater the Luncheon, kids starting school, as well as my school starting, Haley learning how to ride a bike, Haley starting Kindergarden, my mom falling down the stairs and breaking herself, oh yeah and in the mist off this, 1 Musical Production I am currently rehearsing.

Shawn got married on Aug 16th to an awesome girl. They were married in the Timpanogos Temple which is my favorite. After the temple they had a Luncheon at my moms church building that I think was amazing. I have been going to Culinary School and doing caterings for a year now and although I know the day was really about Shawn and Amanda, I couldn't help but be excited to share with my family my love for the Culinary World. Kari and Ang came to my school to help me prep the food. That was alot of fun because we got to spend 3 hours together without our millions of children.

I started this a while ago and never finished. Seussical the Musical has started its three week run and it is so fun. The kids, Whitney and Zack have stuck by me throw the rehearsals and are enjoying themselves in front of an audience. I am as well of course. I have met so many amazing people through this production and its going to be very sad when it comes to a close and we have to say goodbye to our new family, but for now I am enjoying every minute. I am so excited to get back into the theatre world and will be continuesly taking part in other production. Its not something I want to give up and now that I have found the loophole I am gonna keep at it!

I hope everyone is well and happy. I love you all. Oh yes, and Haley lost her first tooth today!

Learning how to live

As we approach the middle of the year, there is a certain dreaded date that is creeping its way into my life. That's right, The Big 30. The Big 30 means much more to me then just that fact that I am unavoidably getting older. It also means, that as I have manage in my life to stay at a good weight for height, turning 30 means I am really gonna have to start taking better care of myself . Mostly this feeling is brought on mainly by the fact that my dad did indeed just have Major Open Heart Surgery. I know that I have really never been to concerned about what I put in my mouth, but now more than ever I am starting to realize I should be. I have decided that the only way to tackle the inevitable, is to take baby steps to improve myself.

My first goal in life is to eliminate all carbonated beverages. That's right Dr. Pepper. You shall not pass these lips any more. I have tried and tried and tried to tackle this one many times but it is a very hard habit to break. I am mostly trying to focus on not so much as not drinking soda, but to drink more water instead. I find that if a carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go, I am much more inclined to drink it then to go out of my way to get a soda. And aside from a few drops or Brandon's Sprite at the Jazz game last night, since I did not want to spend 3 dollars and a 16 oz bottle of Dasani, I have not drank any soda and instead have been drinking 60 oz of water a day. For 6 days!! This is huge for me. I have D.P in my fridge, but have not grabbed for it.

My next goal to tackle will have to be deep fried foods. This one is gonna be a little more tricky because I am not to sure what to carry around with me to beat out the cravings for French Fries. Maybe carrots sticks?