So I got the idea a few months ago to blog my top 10 things from 2012, since it was such an awesome year. I decided to break it down into the top 10 days of 2012 to help me relive the memories of each event. I was able to track down 8 of the exact dates, 1 approximate and 1 I have no idea. One of my goals to work on this next year is writing down dates of important things happening!! Here are the 10 best days of 2012, starting with #10!
#10 - March 17th, the day we bought the Chevy. Kind of a random one to put on here, but we really do love our truck and I am ALWAYS saying how I am so glad we got it, and I am so happy we sold the Jeep, so this had to make it on the top 10. We bought it on a Saturday, the day after we sold the Jeep to Carmax. We got the truck at a little dealership in Pleasant Grove called "The Car Doctors". We got it for $3000 under Kelly Blue Book, so that was AWESOME!
#9 - April 6th {& 7th}, the weekend Jake turned 25. We spent Jake's 25th birthday weekend in Moab with his parents & family. It was SO much fun. This was our first road trip in the truck. It looked SUPER sexy with a 4 wheeler in the back, just saying. On Jake's actual birthday, we were in Moab and had dinner at a mom & pop bar, where the ENTIRE bar sang Happy Birthday to Jake at the top of their lungs. He about died of embarrassment - it was hilarious!
#8 - December 19th, the day my weight loss story was published for the first time. I talked about this all pretty recently - check out my blog entry from December 27th or click here to read it.
#7 - July 30th, the day I lost 100 pounds. Just thinking about that day gives me goosebumps. I felt like crying and jumping for joy and screaming all at the same time. It was SO amazing. That day really just hit me - I really can do hard things. I had DONE hard things. I had really accomplished this awesomely hard thing while still working and having a life. I didn't have to go away to a Biggest Loser site for months. I didn't have to have a surgery done to accomplish that. Yeah, epic moment of my year FOR SURE!
#6 - August 30th, my first day at my Saratoga Springs branch. I've been with the Bank of American Fork for a little over 2 years. Most of that time, I was at the Pleasant Grove branch. An opening came up in Saratoga though and I just had to take it. I applied at the beginning of August, found out I got the job at the end of my interview, but I wasn't able to start until my replacement was hired & ready to start working. I have absolutely LOVED working in Saratoga. I love my co workers, my customers, my shift & my commute. I know I won't be here forever, because I want to be a stay home mom, but for now I absolutely LOVE getting to come here everyday!
#5 - July 8th, the day I hit One-Derland. I remember this like it was yesterday. Brynne was in Lake Powell, and I wanted to hit goal on July 4th so that I could declare Independence from the 200's. Took me a few extra days but I did it! I was working out for a minimum of an hour that week and eating INSANELY strict to help get me below 200. And then, I got on the scale that gorgeous summer day and saw that number that started with a 1 and I really started to cry. Jake wasn't home from work yet and that's probably a good thing - I am sure I acted like a blubbering conceited idiot but you better believe I was and still am SO proud of myself for accomplishing that!!
#4 - October 27th, the day I finished my first half marathon. This is going to go down in history as one of the best days of my life. I was so scared, butterflies are not anywhere near descriptive enough. I felt like I had BATS in my stomach or something haha. And then, after wave 1 left to start the race and we were waiting for wave 2 to be called, Brynne & I watched that YouTube video that I ALWAYS talk about - "Life is like a marathon". I don't care if you've already seen it. Go watch it again. AMAZING video. And we were both absolutely BAWLING. And it was freezing so my face hurt so bad from the tear tracks. But it was SO spiritual and I felt so calm and ready to do this. Then, we said a prayer together and yep that REALLY turned on the water works. And then we stretched, and we started. And I finished. I really did it. And I know that a huge reason I was able to accomplish that was because of our prayer we had first. Seriously one of the best days of my life!
#3 - February 11th, the first time I did an endowment session at Salt Lake Temple. Ok seriously if you haven't been to Salt Lake Temple or Manti to do a live session, do so. It is an AMAZING experience. And Salt Lake is one of my favorite temples, so it's just super awesome there. And this was my first time going inside Salt Lake for anything, so it was just THAT much better! I was able to do a session with Brynne, Blake, my mom & Rick. We went to dinner before hand at the Nauvoo Cafe in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, which was oh so yum! They have really yummy, fresh food. And then we went and did our session. Such an amazing, wonderful experience. I cannot WAIT to go do another live session!!
#2 - Guessing around August {I need to get better at writing this stuff down!!}, the day Jake took the Sacrament for the first time. Seriously, how did I not write this date down?! Jake had a quick Bishop interview right before Church - the main purpose to be Jake asking if he is able to take the Sacrament. I went and saved our usual seat and waited for him to come out. He came and sat down and gave me THE look. The one that he gives me when he knows I am going to get super excited at whatever he has to say. And this look is his warning way of saying that he doesn't want me to get excited. Well, that didn't work. I got SO excited. And yep, I cried. Of course I cried. I had been waiting for this day for a LONG time! And oh my gosh was it worth it. I am so proud of him!! AWESOME day!!
#1 - August 8th, the day Jake got called to be Young Men's Secretary. Ok gotta preface this. The Bishopric had been asking if they could come over mid week and talk with us for a few weeks. I just assumed it was a kinda "getting to know everyone" kind of thing since they had a new member of the Bishopric. We had a few conflicts so we pushed it back a few weeks, but finally got it all set up and they came over. I'm chit chatting, asking them about work and their families and kids and what not and then they mentioned there was another reason for their visit. I felt bad for small talking so long - they are busy guys and have other things to get back to! They said they had callings to extend to each of us. I was kinda surprised, since I already had 2 callings - as a Visiting Teaching Coordinator & as a Nursery leader. They asked if I would be willing to serve in the Relief Society Presidency as the Secretary. To be honest, I kinda saw it coming but I also kinda thought they would leave me in Nursery for a while. I was only in for 6 months! But I was very excited, nervous but mostly honored that they would extend that calling to me. So I said yes. And I am thinking, oh my gosh this is awesome I am so excited. Then they turned to Jake, and I remembered "oh yeah, they are giving us BOTH callings." Brother Woodward asked if Jake would accept it before Jake knew what the calling was, and Jake said no - he wanted to know what it was first. At this point, I'm like oh dang he isn't going to accept this calling and I am going to be so disappointed. So they told him - the Young Men's secretary. My jaw about hit the floor. Seriously. SHOCK is the only word I can think of that describes that moment. Jake looked at me, kinda laughing and said yes. HE SAID YES! So then Brother Woodward goes on to tell us that the name had been suggested in Ward Council by our wonderful neighbor and how everyone in the room got silent and then were all saying how good of a fit that would be, and how they thought Jake would do such a good job at it and they prayed about it as a Bishopric and got a definite yes. MY Jake is in the Young Men's! I was seriously SO excited! They left, Jake told me not to give him THE look {the one I talked about in #2} and I just started jumping up and down. The following Sunday {so I guess this is 2 days but it's all 1 event} we were sustained & set apart after church. Ok, I have received a lot of blessings in my life. I have been set apart multiple times. The blessing Jake got as he was set apart is probably the most emotional blessing I have ever been able to listen to. Things like how the Lord was so pleased with Jake for accepting this calling and that He had been waiting for Jake to communicate the desire to receive more blessings. That the Lord has so many things he wants to give Jake, He is just waiting for Jake to ask for them. Ok seriously I was a wreck. Obviously, I love my husband. A lot. Hearing things like that - that our Heavenly Father loves Jake MORE than I do - it just was beyond words. Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps & makes me want to cry all at the same time. Yep, definitely the best day/days of 2012 right there.
Some of the things that deserve an honorable mention were getting my new wedding ring, buying our sectional, Jake preparing the Sacrament for the first time with the Young Men, Jake VOLUNTEERING to teach Young Men's & Jake accepting and then giving his first talk in Sacrament Meeting. Seriously, Jake & I are both TOTALLY different people from who we were at the beginning of 2012. He has changed so much spiritually, while I have changed physically. Wonder what exciting things will happen this year????
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2013 Resolutions
New Year means New Years Resolutions. I know a lot of people think New Years Resolutions are lame but I love them. It's a new year - a fresh slate. A chance to change and become something different. Yes, you can do that any day of the year but something about the first day of the year makes me REALLY want to change, set goals & do my absolute best to accomplish those things.
Let's start by going over how I did with last years resolutions. Items in green are items that I accomplished!
1. Finish fencing our backyard {and hopefully get another puppy!}
2. Go on {or book} a cruise
3. Finish our fully funded emergency fund {6 months of expenses in savings}
4. Get back to the same size jeans I was wearing while Jake & I were first dating {that was 2 pant sizes away from where I was on January 1, 2012. I have passed that goal pant size by 3 pant sizes!}
5. Participate in an endowment session in every Salt Lake and Utah county temple {Almost - just missing Bountiful!}
6. Plant a tree in our yard
7. Participate in a 5K
8. Keep my Jeep clean, especially on the inside {vacuum regularly} Technically, I keep it REALLY clean since I don't have it anymore ;) but really, I did awesome at keeping it clean before I sold it and I am doing really good at keeping the Mazda clean too!
9. Work on being a better "housewife" - work on my cooking, become better at keeping the house clean and organized, etc.
10. Focus on taking life one day at a time and not getting stressed/upset about things that I can't control
Not too bad considering it was the first year that I accomplished ANY of my New Years Resolutions! I read in "Push", the book written by Chalene Johnson, that goals should be written in present tense, as if they have already been accomplished. New Years Resolutions/Crazy Cool items are:
1. I am sealed to Jake
2. I wear a size 8 in Silver Jeans
3. We have a fully funded emergency fund {$13,000}
4. We have a fully fenced backyard
5. I have attended Camp Do More
6. Jake & I have performed an endowment session, together, in every Utah & Salt Lake County temple
7. We have been on a cruise
8. We are still debt free {with the exception of the mortgage}
9. I am a stay home wife & mom, which means that...
10. I am a mom
These goals make me excited! These are things that I WANT to accomplish this year. Things that I am willing to work INCREDIBLY hard for, because I want them to happen! And guess what? They WILL happen, because I know how to make my goals happen. I know how to break them down into bite size pieces to make them accomplishable {is that a word?}. And these things are GOING to happen in 2013. 2011 was a great year. 2012 was a FLIPPIN AMAZING year. 2013 is going to be my best year yet!
P.S. I love that the things I didn't accomplish in 2012 are on my 2013 list. That was not planned. Apparently what I want in life hasn't changed over the last year - I still have the same priorities and want to accomplish the same things. YAY for consistency!!
Let's start by going over how I did with last years resolutions. Items in green are items that I accomplished!
1. Finish fencing our backyard {and hopefully get another puppy!}
2. Go on {or book} a cruise
3. Finish our fully funded emergency fund {6 months of expenses in savings}
4. Get back to the same size jeans I was wearing while Jake & I were first dating {that was 2 pant sizes away from where I was on January 1, 2012. I have passed that goal pant size by 3 pant sizes!}
5. Participate in an endowment session in every Salt Lake and Utah county temple {Almost - just missing Bountiful!}
6. Plant a tree in our yard
7. Participate in a 5K
8. Keep my Jeep clean, especially on the inside {vacuum regularly} Technically, I keep it REALLY clean since I don't have it anymore ;) but really, I did awesome at keeping it clean before I sold it and I am doing really good at keeping the Mazda clean too!
9. Work on being a better "housewife" - work on my cooking, become better at keeping the house clean and organized, etc.
10. Focus on taking life one day at a time and not getting stressed/upset about things that I can't control
Not too bad considering it was the first year that I accomplished ANY of my New Years Resolutions! I read in "Push", the book written by Chalene Johnson, that goals should be written in present tense, as if they have already been accomplished. New Years Resolutions/Crazy Cool items are:
1. I am sealed to Jake
2. I wear a size 8 in Silver Jeans
3. We have a fully funded emergency fund {$13,000}
4. We have a fully fenced backyard
5. I have attended Camp Do More
6. Jake & I have performed an endowment session, together, in every Utah & Salt Lake County temple
7. We have been on a cruise
8. We are still debt free {with the exception of the mortgage}
9. I am a stay home wife & mom, which means that...
10. I am a mom
These goals make me excited! These are things that I WANT to accomplish this year. Things that I am willing to work INCREDIBLY hard for, because I want them to happen! And guess what? They WILL happen, because I know how to make my goals happen. I know how to break them down into bite size pieces to make them accomplishable {is that a word?}. And these things are GOING to happen in 2013. 2011 was a great year. 2012 was a FLIPPIN AMAZING year. 2013 is going to be my best year yet!
P.S. I love that the things I didn't accomplish in 2012 are on my 2013 list. That was not planned. Apparently what I want in life hasn't changed over the last year - I still have the same priorities and want to accomplish the same things. YAY for consistency!!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Family Pictures 2012
We got our family pictures taken recently & I absolutely LOVE them. Seriously, I think they turned out UHmazing! If you are looking for a great photographer with reasonable prices, I HIGHLY recommend Jaelyn of Complexions Photography. Seriously, love her. This is the first time we have had pictures taken of just us since our engagement pictures. That was 3 1/2 years ago! We have had a few snaps here & there when our parents got family pictures taken, but none where the whole session was devoted to just us. I ended up having to reschedule our session because my hair was having difficulties and it ended up a little shorter than I had wanted. And I was INCREDIBLY stressed about pictures. I was over thinking it though - it's pictures taken of where we are at right now in our lives. I am SO glad we had them done!! Ok enough talking - let's get to the pictures. Enjoy!!
Can't wait to get them all up in our house!! I am thinking of doing a big picture collage. As soon as it's all done and up, I will be sure to post it!! Yay for having new family pictures taken!
 |
| Probably the best one of the 3 of us - Max REALLY didn't want to cooperate |
 |
| One of my favorites! |
 |
| Same one as above, just horizontal |
 |
| LOVE this one! |
 |
| My other favorite! |
Jaelyn also took some individual pictures of each of us. There are a LOT more of me though - she wanted to take lots of "after" pictures for me! Here are a few of them - I don't want to post them ALL haha!
And of course, I had to get a few of my AMAZINGLY handsome hubby. He isn't a huge fan of getting pictures taken but he was a good sport. Thanks love!!
Published
So I have this "instafriend" named Zach Bohannon. He's pretty much awesome - seriously. He's lost over 100 pounds, the healthy way and is SO motivating & posts such awesome stuff on Instagram. He & his wife are losing weight together. Seriously, love these two. Check out their blog by going here. So he posted about me on Instagram {I talked about this in this post} and Dana from DietsinReview.com found me through his Instragram post and asked if she could do an interview with me for their website. UM YES!!!
 |
| Not gonna lie, when I read the email I thought it was spam for a second until I read Zach's story, since I know that's true! |
 |
| After my interview - I was freaking out! |
 |
| Seriously, SO excited! |
 |
| Took this screenshot a few days later, but you get the idea. THAT'S ME ON A WEBSITE!!! |
 |
| Zach posted it on Instragram!! |
 |
| The caption part of Zach's post. Seriously, SO flattered!! |
 |
| My mom posted it to Facebook! |
 |
| As did Jake... I LOVE when Jake posts stuff or talks about how proud he is of me. Makes me feel all warm & fuzzy :) |
 |
| Brynne posted it on Facebook too! This made me cry - hearing her say how proud she is of me is AMAZING. Second only to Jake, she's my favorite person to hear it from :) |
 |
| Nicole Duclos Turner, who danced with Brynne on Drill, wrote me this email on Facebook. Seriously made my day!! People keep telling me how much I motivate them, but the emails I get from them is what motivates me! Circle of life baby! |
Seriously, I am so overwhelmed and flattered by all of the support and positive reinforcements I have got from people. It is still kinda sinking in that I really did lose 125. The article says 135, but I am at 125 right now. BUT STILL. I really did those things! I did something epic enough that someone wanted to write an article about me. That is an AMAZINGLY awesome feeling. And I REALLY hope I don't sound vain or conceited. I am seriously in shock. This is SO cool. I feel like I'm in an awesome dream, except this is my real life now!!
 |
| That's me!!! |
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Becoming Certified
Well, I did it. After 6 months of falling head over heels in love with all things Turbo, I have become a Turbo Kick Instructor. Last Saturday {December 15} the Uh-MAZING Shukria Stewart certified me and 13 other people to go out and bring Turbo to the world. Ok just to Utah. But still. It was epic.
The day before the certification, I was talking to Brynne {who is also a certified instructor} about how I was going to be REALLY tired for the 8 hour certification the next day. We had a Christmas party that night for Jake's work and it was really fun but we ended up getting home around 11. That is LATE for me people. I go to bed REALLY early since I usually get up on the early side to work out. Brynne just kept telling me that it would be worth it and that my body would have enough adrenaline to make it through the day. She was right. I didn't get too tired during the training, but when I got home I CRASHED on the couch haha. There were only at a few spots during the training where I could feel myself getting tired, but I used all the Chalene Johnson sport psychology I know and talked myself out of thinking I was tired. Worked, just like it always does.
We were trained in Round 52. It is a SUPER fun round, I really like it. 51 is my favorite of all the round I have learned, but 52 is sneaking up for a close second. We did a full workout half way through the training of Round 52 and Brynne, Sabrina & another previously certified Turbo Kick Instructor came to do it with us. Can I just say that I LOVE working out with Brynne? Having her teach is AWESOME, but getting to do it next to her, with both of us focused on the workout and not trying to que, was just AMAZING. I absolutely LOVED it. I found out the day before the training that she is no longer teaching at XSI in Lehi - they canceled all the classes. ALL of them. What kind of gym does that?! I cancelled my membership as a result. Anyway, I knew I wouldn't get to work out with her again for a while so I really pushed myself and it was AMAZING! I was INSANELY sweaty haha. I love when I get a good sweat like that though - I have had WAY too many fall off the wagon days lately & that helped me remember to focus on improving my health, not just the scale. I don't feel good when I eat junk, especially tons of it, but Turbo makes me feel awesome - even if for a while I am not breathing ;)
The day before the certification, I was talking to Brynne {who is also a certified instructor} about how I was going to be REALLY tired for the 8 hour certification the next day. We had a Christmas party that night for Jake's work and it was really fun but we ended up getting home around 11. That is LATE for me people. I go to bed REALLY early since I usually get up on the early side to work out. Brynne just kept telling me that it would be worth it and that my body would have enough adrenaline to make it through the day. She was right. I didn't get too tired during the training, but when I got home I CRASHED on the couch haha. There were only at a few spots during the training where I could feel myself getting tired, but I used all the Chalene Johnson sport psychology I know and talked myself out of thinking I was tired. Worked, just like it always does.
We were trained in Round 52. It is a SUPER fun round, I really like it. 51 is my favorite of all the round I have learned, but 52 is sneaking up for a close second. We did a full workout half way through the training of Round 52 and Brynne, Sabrina & another previously certified Turbo Kick Instructor came to do it with us. Can I just say that I LOVE working out with Brynne? Having her teach is AWESOME, but getting to do it next to her, with both of us focused on the workout and not trying to que, was just AMAZING. I absolutely LOVED it. I found out the day before the training that she is no longer teaching at XSI in Lehi - they canceled all the classes. ALL of them. What kind of gym does that?! I cancelled my membership as a result. Anyway, I knew I wouldn't get to work out with her again for a while so I really pushed myself and it was AMAZING! I was INSANELY sweaty haha. I love when I get a good sweat like that though - I have had WAY too many fall off the wagon days lately & that helped me remember to focus on improving my health, not just the scale. I don't feel good when I eat junk, especially tons of it, but Turbo makes me feel awesome - even if for a while I am not breathing ;)
 |
| Right before our workout. I bought a new workout outfit specifically for the training and was wearing my black & hot pink nikes, so I matched my shirt! |
 |
| Me & Shukria at the very end of the day. Exhausted & sweaty to say the least!! |
 |
| She had the funnest TurboWear clothes on all day. I just might need to invest in some of it haha |
 |
| At one point during the workout, Brynne & I slap the floor. I smacked it too hard and jammed my thumb - the one on the right in the picture was swollen & turning a little bit blue. I couldn't feel it most of the day haha. But hey, I ROCKED that part of the workout! |
After the workout, I drove home from Spanish Fork & stopped for Cafe Rio. Gotta love Cafe Rio on a night when you just can't handle the thought of making dinner! I put the music for Round 51 in my CD player in my car {old school, I know! It's like the 2nd time I have ever used that CD player} and ROCKED out the whole way home to the music from 51. Seriously, that Turbo Round is AMAZINGLY fun.
 |
| Marked it off my Crazy Cool List! |
Now I just need to find somewhere to teach it at! I found a place in Saratoga Springs, right next to my work, where I could teach but it would end up costing me money and that isn't smart haha. So I am just patiently waiting to find somewhere to teach at. And in the mean time, I can continue to get in BETTER shape so that I can queue well, work on my form & technique so that I am a good example of how to do the moves, and get more muscle definition so that I can have that motivational physique like Chalene, Jenelle, Shukria, Brynne & all the other awesome Turbo Peeps I look up to!!! But I am OFFICIALLY a certified a Turbo Instructor!! WOOT!!!!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
A whole lot better...
Well folks, I am feeling a WHOLE lot better. It took me a few days but I realized that part or most of the reason I was so moody & not feeling like myself was because I have been really stressed. All great things - my calling, Jake's calling, my job, Jake's job, family & trying to keep both sides happy with how often we see them, stuff with my Beachbody business, workouts & trying to bust through my plateau, Christmas, etc. Just have a ton on my plate and I realized over the weekend that it's time to "trim the fat" and REALLY prioritize. Jake is my number 1 priority. And because we have all these other things going on, it's making it so that I have been treating him AWFUL and that's the last thing I want.
So I am minimizing Christmas and trying to make it as easy and pain free as possible on myself. I got a lot of shopping done last weekend while Jake was at work {he worked over time Friday night} and that has made me feel a LOT better. There are presents under our tree now - finally! We ran out of tape though, so the wrapping has come to a brief hault. As soon as I have more tape, I plan to finish the wrapping so that I can have my guest bedroom back haha. We still have no idea who's house we are going to when. That is a HUGE cause of my stress. Both families want us all day both days and that isn't fair {obviously} so Jake & I need to figure out who gets us when and we just haven't finalized the plan because our parents keep changing plans. Good times right? Can't wait until we have kids and a legitimate excuse to stay home on Christmas morning so that this drama can work itself out!
I am also seriously cutting back on Beachbody stuff. Yes, I am still a Beachbody coach. But I am not pursuing it like I was. If someone approaches me, then I will be all over helping them. I am not going to seek out people to talk to though. And I think that's what Beachbody wants you to do - to kinda wait for them to come to you. I just felt like I needed to find them and sell everything to everyone in a short amount of time and it was really burning me out. I'm wishy-washy on this - one minute I want to tone it back and the next I feel like I can handle it. I guess we'll see how the next few weeks go. I am getting certified as a Turbo Instructor this weekend and after that I will be able to teach Turbo. That means that I will get a paycheck for working out. Not a paycheck for working out and then selling the workout to someone else {like with Beachbody}. I am SO excited for that! Nervous and scared out of my mind, yes. But excited! I am planning to really mix up my workout routine so that I can get in better shape so that I can talk during Turbo {giving cues and such}. Either way, Turbo is my soulmate workout and I am happy I found it and that I will have the chance to help other people along their fitness journey, both through teaching & as a Beachbody Coach.
Speaking of helping others, I have had the most AMAZING opportunity come up! My "instafriend" Zach Bohannan (click here to see his blog) has a TRULY inspirational story - he has lost over 100 pounds himself and is getting SO toned and is right at the end of his losing journey. He featured ME on his instagram - posted one of my before & afters and told everyone to go follow me. And they listened - I got around 60 new followers on Instagram that day. 60! CRAZY right?! I was so honored and flattered that he would post that about me! And THEN a writer for DietsinReview.com contacted me through my facebook page {link is on my Instagram} and told me they recently wrote a story on Zach and wanted to do one on me too! SOMEONE IS WRITING A STORY ABOUT ME!! My interview is today at 2 PM via phone call. I am nervous, not going to lie - I have no idea what to expect or what to say but hopefully it all flows and just comes to me haha. I feel so blessed that I have the chance to share my story and influence others to change their health so that we can end the trend of obesity!
I have also relieved some stress about my health & nutrition & plateau. I ordered a book called "Eat Clean Diet - Recharged" that was referred to me by an AMAZING girl on Facebook who has ALSO lost a ton of weight - 136 pounds to be exact. Went from a size 20 to a size 2. So it IS possible to get that small!! That gave me a LOT of hope! I am SO excited to read this book and see what changes I can make to further clean up my diet. And starting December 25, I am doing ChaLean Extreme again - phase 2. This time with weights. Yep, Santa is bringing me weights! Makes me SO excited for Christmas knowing that something I want is under the tree and I know it's there. I keep telling myself it's ok to just start using them now but that isn't true. I gotta wait. That's hard about Christmas - waiting. But worth it! I can't wait to see Jake's reaction to his main gift - it's gonna be awesome. He has NO idea what I got him!!
AND Jake spoke in Sacrament Meeting in church this past Sunday! I almost forgot to tell you!!! His topic was on personal growth - basically Brother Woodward {2nd Counselor in the Bishopric- we just love him!} wanted Jake to share his story on how he has come back to the church after being inactive for most of his life. Jake was so nervous, and the morning of his talk I think he seriously contemplated calling in sick to church but he went and he did GREAT and shared his testimony about missionary work at the end. That was my favorite part - he said something along the lines of how "he has a testimony of missionary work because of his brother going on a mission. Even though his brother isn't here, Clint has been a really good missionary to Jake". It was great - I was SO proud of him!! He said afterwards that he had been shaking but you couldn't tell - he was looking down quite a bit but that's my shy guy for ya. First talk EVER and he ROCKED it. Babe, I am so proud of you!!
Just know I AM feeling better emotionally. That last post was me super moody and I was like that for the past 2 ish weeks and now I'm back and chipper as ever :) Oh and side note - things are looking great with my platelette count! Been off prednisone for almost 2 weeks and my blood count is staying high so we are crossing our fingers for no surgery! That means, if all stays well, we get to start trying for a baby within the next few months!!
So I am minimizing Christmas and trying to make it as easy and pain free as possible on myself. I got a lot of shopping done last weekend while Jake was at work {he worked over time Friday night} and that has made me feel a LOT better. There are presents under our tree now - finally! We ran out of tape though, so the wrapping has come to a brief hault. As soon as I have more tape, I plan to finish the wrapping so that I can have my guest bedroom back haha. We still have no idea who's house we are going to when. That is a HUGE cause of my stress. Both families want us all day both days and that isn't fair {obviously} so Jake & I need to figure out who gets us when and we just haven't finalized the plan because our parents keep changing plans. Good times right? Can't wait until we have kids and a legitimate excuse to stay home on Christmas morning so that this drama can work itself out!
I am also seriously cutting back on Beachbody stuff. Yes, I am still a Beachbody coach. But I am not pursuing it like I was. If someone approaches me, then I will be all over helping them. I am not going to seek out people to talk to though. And I think that's what Beachbody wants you to do - to kinda wait for them to come to you. I just felt like I needed to find them and sell everything to everyone in a short amount of time and it was really burning me out. I'm wishy-washy on this - one minute I want to tone it back and the next I feel like I can handle it. I guess we'll see how the next few weeks go. I am getting certified as a Turbo Instructor this weekend and after that I will be able to teach Turbo. That means that I will get a paycheck for working out. Not a paycheck for working out and then selling the workout to someone else {like with Beachbody}. I am SO excited for that! Nervous and scared out of my mind, yes. But excited! I am planning to really mix up my workout routine so that I can get in better shape so that I can talk during Turbo {giving cues and such}. Either way, Turbo is my soulmate workout and I am happy I found it and that I will have the chance to help other people along their fitness journey, both through teaching & as a Beachbody Coach.
Speaking of helping others, I have had the most AMAZING opportunity come up! My "instafriend" Zach Bohannan (click here to see his blog) has a TRULY inspirational story - he has lost over 100 pounds himself and is getting SO toned and is right at the end of his losing journey. He featured ME on his instagram - posted one of my before & afters and told everyone to go follow me. And they listened - I got around 60 new followers on Instagram that day. 60! CRAZY right?! I was so honored and flattered that he would post that about me! And THEN a writer for DietsinReview.com contacted me through my facebook page {link is on my Instagram} and told me they recently wrote a story on Zach and wanted to do one on me too! SOMEONE IS WRITING A STORY ABOUT ME!! My interview is today at 2 PM via phone call. I am nervous, not going to lie - I have no idea what to expect or what to say but hopefully it all flows and just comes to me haha. I feel so blessed that I have the chance to share my story and influence others to change their health so that we can end the trend of obesity!
I have also relieved some stress about my health & nutrition & plateau. I ordered a book called "Eat Clean Diet - Recharged" that was referred to me by an AMAZING girl on Facebook who has ALSO lost a ton of weight - 136 pounds to be exact. Went from a size 20 to a size 2. So it IS possible to get that small!! That gave me a LOT of hope! I am SO excited to read this book and see what changes I can make to further clean up my diet. And starting December 25, I am doing ChaLean Extreme again - phase 2. This time with weights. Yep, Santa is bringing me weights! Makes me SO excited for Christmas knowing that something I want is under the tree and I know it's there. I keep telling myself it's ok to just start using them now but that isn't true. I gotta wait. That's hard about Christmas - waiting. But worth it! I can't wait to see Jake's reaction to his main gift - it's gonna be awesome. He has NO idea what I got him!!
AND Jake spoke in Sacrament Meeting in church this past Sunday! I almost forgot to tell you!!! His topic was on personal growth - basically Brother Woodward {2nd Counselor in the Bishopric- we just love him!} wanted Jake to share his story on how he has come back to the church after being inactive for most of his life. Jake was so nervous, and the morning of his talk I think he seriously contemplated calling in sick to church but he went and he did GREAT and shared his testimony about missionary work at the end. That was my favorite part - he said something along the lines of how "he has a testimony of missionary work because of his brother going on a mission. Even though his brother isn't here, Clint has been a really good missionary to Jake". It was great - I was SO proud of him!! He said afterwards that he had been shaking but you couldn't tell - he was looking down quite a bit but that's my shy guy for ya. First talk EVER and he ROCKED it. Babe, I am so proud of you!!
Just know I AM feeling better emotionally. That last post was me super moody and I was like that for the past 2 ish weeks and now I'm back and chipper as ever :) Oh and side note - things are looking great with my platelette count! Been off prednisone for almost 2 weeks and my blood count is staying high so we are crossing our fingers for no surgery! That means, if all stays well, we get to start trying for a baby within the next few months!!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Beginning of the Christmas Season...
It's that marvelous time of year again! And yet it doesn't feel like it AT ALL. Maybe that's because I have only had hot chocolate twice this whole fall/winter. Hardly any sweets. And we have NO SNOW! I know people don't like snow. I'm not a huge fan, unless it's December. Then YES I want snow and LOTS of it. I am about to the point I want to pray for a blizzard. Or maybe it's from working full time and how busy that makes me. Or our callings. Or all of the above. Either way, I feel like my life is a whirl wind right now and oh my gosh Christmas is in less than 3 weeks and I am SO not prepared!
I have decorated though! And as of today, I am about 2/3 of the way done with my Christmas shopping. Slowly starting to try to get more into the Christmas spirit. I need to find a way to take some time & enjoy the season, rather than letting it rush by.
Anyway, enough whining {Can you tell I am not feeling as chipper as usual??}. Here are some pictures of our house all decorated for Christmas!
I have decorated though! And as of today, I am about 2/3 of the way done with my Christmas shopping. Slowly starting to try to get more into the Christmas spirit. I need to find a way to take some time & enjoy the season, rather than letting it rush by.
Anyway, enough whining {Can you tell I am not feeling as chipper as usual??}. Here are some pictures of our house all decorated for Christmas!
 |
| New craft I did this year - got it at Craft Wood Cutouts the day after Thanksgiving! LOVE how it turned out!! |
 |
| Our wreath. Want to replace it but haven't found anything I want to make yet! |
 |
| Our tree with our new "topper" - got it at the dollar store!! Bam!! |
 |
| The ledge! The "Joy" is also new this year, got it at the same time of Crafty Wood Cutouts. LOVE how it turned out as well! |
 |
| Stockings hung above the fireplace with our countdown, nativity scene & the amazing wreath Cassie made for me last year. |
Plan is to get presents wrapped and under the tree this weekend! That should help me feel more like it's time for Christmas, and get something off of my To Do list so I can have one less thing to stress about. Gotta love stress and how abundant it is this time of year!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)