Momma

Admittedly, there has been a number of begging and pleading to get my mom up to Flagstaff to see me and spend a little quality time with me. We both only have one car so oftentimes it's hard to see each other but I can't help it, I need her.

Mom came up Friday.

It was a great day. 

We went to Pita Jungle where I had my favorite black bean burger in the world. We then strolled around a few thrift stores(shocking, right?). After thrifting, we came back to my house and baked up some yummy carrot cake muffins and some mini quiche cups for the breakfast picnic Dugan and I went on for our anniversary. More on that in the next post.

I love my mom. I love having her around to talk talk talk about everything. I love that she is so A.D.D.. I like that she likes to snuggle me when she sees me and that it takes a miracle to get a good photo with her. I like that she likes to take me shopping so I can try on all the silly things she picks out for me. I love her hugs and her kisses and her comfort. Love you Momma. Come back and see me anytime.

As The Days Go By

Well, world. I'm still not working and spending my days at home cooking, cleaning, and with the dog. My day to day life is uneventful and not very exciting but it's the way I live and I don't mind it. I thought I would throw up a few random photos from the last few weeks so no one out there things we fell off the grid. We're still here.

1. Easter

At Easter we went to Payson to see some family and some friends. We always enjoy the time we spend there and I didn't feel like cooking an Easter Dinner for 3 people. We went to church, went for a nice sunny walk, and then had dinner at Terri Legassie's house with some good friends.

2. Birthdays

Last week we went to phoenix to spend some time with Amantha and her family and so that I could take her out shopping for her birthday. We went to the park, relaxed at home, and got to walk around the mall a little bit and try on clothes. Always fun when the sisters get together.

Monday night, which was also Amantha's birthday (April 8), my dear friend Jessica had her baby Briella. Julia and I drove back down to Phoenix to meet her and give Jess our love. Briella was born with long, beautiful hair and long fingers and toes- just like her mama. She has a million and one people who were anticipating her arrival and I am so glad she made it out safe and sound. I am also so proud of Jessica.

I want to give an online congratulations to our friends Emily and Seth Trader, too. Their little girl, Rosalie just came to meet the world too last week. She is beautiful and I am so happy for them. Welcome to the world, Rosalie!

3. Cooking- of course.

Keeping lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies in the house. I've recently been noticing that the chips and cookies in my house will go away much quicker than the apples and strawberries and cucumbers. So, now I am bringing a lot less of those things into the house and keeping the fruits and veggies stalked up. I'll cut up a cucumber or a cantelope melon and leave them on the coffee table and before you know it, the peeps in my house will have devoured them. Easy.

Last week i also successfully made lots of new things like a vegetable lasagna (no noodles!) and some stuffed bell peppers. In the peppers I had a mixture of quinoia, ground turkey, corn, onions, and parsley. In Dugan & Rachel's peppers I put bacon and cheese on the top of them. They were a success and we will be doing them again!

5. House Hunting

Looking for a house to move into next month. I check all the rental sites every day hoping to stumble across a miracle. Everything in the area we want is way over priced and I am keeping my fingers crossed that as soon as the NAU students begin to move away for the summer, some places will open up. It's been a bit discouraging at times but we still have about 2 months until we have to be out so I'm just trying to stay eager without too much investment in it just yet.

4. Running

Lastly, I've been running as often as I can with Odin. He loves the exercise and the fresh air and so do I. We go on many different trails but our favorite lately has been a 4.3 mile train around the University Heights area. We walk the first mile and run the last three. It's really great because my lungs are finally used to the climate up here and I get back from my 3 mile run wanting more. That is the best!

Alrighty, that's what we've been up to the last couple weeks. Nothing too special but that's not always a bad thing. Hope everyone out there reading is enjoying all this warm spring air as much as I am!

xoxo

Well-Here-it-is

Hello, all! I have not blogged in a while because I've been waiting patiently to get my camera back from some friends but have not made a trip to Payson in awhile and therefore have no new photos from my camera to share with all of you. I guess I will have to show you photos of the SCA event at Estrella War located in Queen Creek a little later.
I do, however, still have a little camera attached to my phone so I have a couple randoms to share with you about any recent happenings- that is if any of you are still interested.

This month seemed to fly by. I'm still unemployed but I am making myself a very productive wife and homemaker until the time comes. I've been busying myself with cleaning and cooking and taking care of the puppy and that seems to be pulling my weight pretty well for now.

I've been trying new things in the kitchen and making sure our tummies are staying full of lots of nutritious meals and snacks. Today I made Black Bean And Sweet Potato Quesadillas. I would have never have thought of putting sweet potatoes on a tortilla but I did and it was amazing. The only changes I would have made would be to add maybe a little jalepeno or bell pepper into the blackbean/onion/garlic mix. Oh, and I used corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. A Cheese-less quesadilla didn't make much sense to Dugan at first but he tried it and found that it was a masterpiece! Yum Yum Yum!

I'm still going to the Gym 3-5 times a week and on the days I don't do the gym i'm doing a video in my living room. Odin and I take long walks most days and the little guy still has loads of energy. Sometimes we go on runs too and he really enjoys that. I'm working my way up to a 5K Dugan and I will be doing in about a month. I can already go a solid 3 miles already no problem so I'm not really worried.

So, now I am going to bore you all with talk of the food I enjoy eating and then throw in some photos of my work out in the last 6 months so I can look back and see the series of photos and remind myself not to go back!

The things I like to snack on are usually fruit but I have to stop myself sometimes and throw in some protein, too. I keep a few hard boiled eggs in the refrigerator so I have a quick snack between meals and so Dugan can take one to work every once and awhile. I am currently obsessing over Yoplait Greek Yogurt (I don't know what it is about Yoplait I like so much). I make myself a lot of smoothies and a lot of oatmeal with peanut butter, banana, flax seed, and a dash of cinnamon in it. It's the best!

Today I made a pretty terrific sandwich with Chicken Breast slices, avocado(thats something else I eat a lot of too), spinach, and feta cheese. try it- you'll never go back to ham and cheese again.

So here is a series of photos starting with last February when I wanted to start working out in New York but didn't really know what I was doing just yet. I weighed 129 and wore a size 4 jean.

 

 I gained another 4lbs between February but then decided enough was enough when a new little stretch mark came to stay on my right hip when I was in California. 

As soon as I moved into my place in Flagstaff, I put my foot down and started working out about 2-3 times a week. I didn't think anything was happening but when Rachel moved in in August she said that she could see a difference in me and that made me feel pretty confident. As soon as she moved in, we were spending our time job hunting and working out so I was working out 6 days a week and we only went out to eat once every other week. By the way, that's one of the only way people can progress in their workouts. Eat healthy and work out a lot. It's not that complicated.

The inches started coming off...

September was more of 5-6 times a week at the gym and out on my runs. It started to get a little easier to JUST DO IT. I think I was finally starting to feel like I was shrinking. None of my jeans OR my bras fit anymore and that was both refreshing and somewhat frustrating because neither of those things are cheap. I was down to a size 3 jean by this point.

October  and November I felt like I needed to kick it up a notch because I have this hereditary "baby bump" that I could NOT get rid of. (see picture below). My tummy looked flat head on but from the side I looked three months pregnant. I was starting to think that it was just something I had to live with and quit trying to control. At this point I weighed 112lbs and was happy enough with that number but knew that I could push myself and do even better.

By the time Christmas rolled around I felt like I had defeated my "baby bump" and got it to be at least smaller than it ever had in my entire life. I mean, there's still a little pooch, but it was significantly less noticeable. I was doing a LOT of cardio and ab workouts 4 times a week. 3 light days of abs and one intense day where abs were my main focus. By Christmas I weighed 107.5lbs! I hadn't weighed that since probably before High School. And I was OK with that number because I knew that it was small, but I knew that It was not too small. I was doing lots of strength training, I was eating a proper diet and there wasn't anything unhealthy going on. 

Jan-feb were a lot of the same old same old. Trying to maintain how much I weighed and just focus on keeping myself toned and strong.



Now, in late March, I'm still hanging around between 106lbs and 110lbs depending on the day. I feel good and I am just keeping up with what I have already accomplished. I'm still struggling keeping my tummy looking flat but that'll be something I struggle with forever, i'm sure.

I'm happy with me. And, honestly, working out has become really special to me because it's a way for me to get away and have my quiet time and my ME time. It's been a really good outlet for relieving stress and letting myself feel vain for a couple hours out of the day. I need to blog about my journey so that is something I don't have to worry about ever going back to what I was. It was weird because I didn't know that I was so big until now- that I am small and can fit into a size double zero jean depending on the brand. I like feeling snobby about "needing" by minimum of 30 minutes a day to exercise. I feel better than I used to. I sleep better than I used to. I have better posture and I just feel better when I get into clothes.

I can...

My sister Amantha posted something like this on her blog and I just thought it was so uplifting and positive that I had to stop my life for a minute and do one of my own. So, without much thought, here is a quick list of things I can't do, followed by a list of things I CAN do.

I can't make anyone love me.
I can't make anyone else happy.
I can't stop commercials from happening.
I can't always get what I want.
I can't be any taller.
I can't keep the snow from falling.
I can't slow down time.
I can't give my family all the money in the world.
I can't always protect my twin brother, though that's all I want to do.
I can't take very long naps during the day.
I can't keep track of all my things all the time.
I can't keep bad things from happening to people.
I can't control anyone else's bad habits.
I can't stop people from dying.
I can't control the way people judge.
I can't fix a lot of my flaws.
I can't find money where there is none.
I can't keep everyone healthy and out of harms way.
I can't make anyone see things the way I see them.

I CAN have a good attitude.
I CAN eat as healthy as I can.
I CAN drive to see my friends and family as often as I can.
I CAN ask for help when I need it.
I CAN do my homework on time.
I CAN stay productive, even when I am unemployed.
I CAN pick my battles.
I CAN do all I know how to to make my husband's life easier.
I CAN smile every day even when I am grumpy.
I CAN tell my family I love them every day.
I CAN get 8 hours of sleep every night.
I CAN practice my manners.
I CAN pay my bills.
I CAN keep my house clean.
I CAN learn how to do almost anything I want by searching it on the internet.
I CAN type a paper, beginning to end, in an obscenely short amount of time.
I CAN tell people I appreciate them when I do.
I CAN kiss my husband each and every day.
I CAN beat someone at a boardgame or two.
I CAN keep good hygiene.
I CAN comfort the people who come to me for it.
I CAN pray whenever I don't know what to do.
I CAN trust myself to make the right decision most of the time.
I CAN call any member of my family and trust that they will be there for me.


There are a million of things I cannot do, but there are a million and one things I can do. I often need to remind myself that even though I cannot control a lot of things in my life, there are many things I can control that effect not only me, but everyone else around me. I am happy with my life because I CHOOSE to be happy with my life. I choose to do things that will make my life better, and I choose appreciate the good things instead of feeling sad over the bad things. There are a lot of bad things in this world, but there are many many good things, too. I hope that some of you out there look for the good things, and choose to be happy- no matter your situation.

This week:

 We've been watching marathons of lots of different things. Sometimes we fall asleep at 8pm and sometimes we can stay awake until 1:30 in the morning. It's cold, so we keep warm inside most of the time but when the sun shows itself, i've been going for runs with the puppy and taking him to the dog park. Still haven't found the strength to sit outside and read with my cup of coffee just yet. We'll get there. Daily, we drink a number of things: espresso, apple spice hot tea, cocoa, woodchuck apple cider and we eat lots and lots of cookies. We talk about books and about travel- the places we've been and the places we want to see. 

Our weeks all scramble together, but i've been saying that for years. We went to Payson last week for Jessika Kasl's baby shower and to celebrate Rd's birthday. We also went out to my Father in law's house and Dugan helped out quite a bit with moving things out of the house (it sold!) so there is quite a bit of work to be done. Next year is Estrella War in Queen Creek for the SCA. If you read my blog and don't know what the SCA is, it's a hobby of Dugan that involved mid-evil reenactments and camping. Sounds nerdy- it's fun.So next week we will be going camping and then seeing Seth's play, The Tenement and going to see my nephew for a belated birthday party.

I'm sure you're bored by now hearing my ramblings. So, here's a few photos and I'll sign off.

 Jessika and I at her baby shower. Such a glowing mama.

 Odin. Had a BLAST running around Dugan's dad's property in Payson. Getting this little guy a yard of his own soon soon soon!

Miss Geneva and I

 

Odin and Muttly out in Freedom Acres. Dugan grew up with Muttly. I think it brought him joy seeing them play together.


Have a great week everyone. I'll check back in with you after Estrella next weekend! 

On this freezing cold morning:

What do I do when it's negative 8 outside?

Gym time.

:)

Wait a minute, we're 21?

Last weekend was so fun! I am always... and I mean always... trying to find ways to see all of my friends and family. If i had it my way, we would all live in one place and I could see all the people I love each and every day. Sadly, that is not the world we live in and I don't think everyone I love will be living next door to me anytime soon. Or ever (shout out to Elyse!). However, for my birthday I said this year that I would not plan anything for hopes of not being stood up like I have been in the past but it didn't really work out that way. The closer it got to my birthday, and the more people who told me they were coming up here to spend our (mine and seth's) birthday up in flagstaff with us, the more I couldn't resist planning. Over all, for my birthday this year I said I wanted 3 things: French toast for breakfast, a pedicure, and a picnic with whoever happened to be there.

Friday was fun and simple- we went out to dinner and Seth and I went downtown with a few incredible friends for a little bit. Nothing too fancy or crazy. It was a late night and an early morning the next day. I don't have any photos of Friday night on my computer so you'll have to just believe me that it was a nice time.

Saturday, as we all woke up, my rockin friend Julia came over early from her hotel with baby Eli to make us all french toast. It was delicious, perfect, exactly what I wanted. The morning slowly rolled into the perfect mix of man-time for the boys and lady-time for the girls. Can you think of anything better? The boys went shooting out in the forest and the ladies took a trip up to the mall for some pampering time at the salon and a little bit of shopping.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, we were all pretty hungry. Seeing as it was late afternoon and we had pulled pork cooking in the crock pot at home, we didn't see any need in going on a picnic if we could just start the bbq at home early. So that's exactly what we did! I'm not disappointed we didn't go on a picnic. That can be for a later time when it's not quite so chilly outside. We all ate good food, drank good drinks, had laughs and had a really good time. Sunday morning was breakfast out at Mike&Rhondas(yummy cheap  restaurant here in flag for anyone interested) and we sadly parted ways.

So, here are a few photos from my birthday weekend. I want everyone who was there, and everyone who bothers reading my blog, that I had a really good birthday and I hope Seth did too. I really enjoyed every second with everyone who was by my side and If I could have that everyday, I would cut off my right arm to do so. I love all of you very very much and I am so very grateful to have so many people love and care about me the way you all do.

And now for a series of entertaining photos from the birthday boy and yours truly.

And yes, although it was our 21st birthday and It's hard to believe, we are sober in all of these photos.

 quick! Pretend you're sleeping!

 don't...don't lick me...

And my personal favorite due to levels of ridiculousness and scaryness: