Saturday, October 30, 2010

carved




happy halloween!

Friday, October 29, 2010

thanks!

hey guys-

i'm done! with the GRE! oh that sounds soooooooo wonderful! thanks for the prayers... it has been a stressful three and half weeks of studying. i would suggest not cramming it all into one month, although it is nice get it over with so quickly and complete bliss when you walk out of there- especially if you are happy with your score.

here is the scoop: i needed 1000 for the grad programs i am applying to, i wanted 1200 for good measure, and i kept getting 1050 on my practice exams (much to my dismay). but... i got 1230! woot woot! i was so excited when my scores flashed onto the screen- 550 for verbal and 680 for math. i think i even started laughing. i won't get the essay scores for about three weeks, but i feel pretty confident about them and the grad programs that i'm interested in don't seem to care about the essays.

so... life is good! i am so relieved. i was so worried that i would bomb the whole thing and have to re-take it in the next couple of weeks in time for applications. whew! i am so happy and ready for the fun weekend. tonight we will be busy carving our pumpkin, making halloween cookies, drinking hot chocolate, and maybe we will even watch a scary movie. oh, how nice it will be to just relax! (and eat lots of candy!)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

what to do...



is it crunch time or relax time??

i just don't know...

the GRE is taking place tomorrow morning. aaaaahhhhhhhh! should i spend
the night going over the geometry section again and trying to memorize more vocab note cards?
or should i dedicate the evening to ultimate relaxation and a boat-load of positive affirmations?

i'm not sure which one would help me more at this point...
any thoughts?

well, offer up a prayer for me if you are the praying type (which is a good type to be). i sure need it.


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

i am buff


tonight, it's goin' down...

the push-up competition.

between me and the cute boy i married. i think i'm going to win. i have been working out and lifting weights... so i think i can do more push-ups than he can. can you handle that jeremy?? this all started today when he asked me if i really thought i could do "real" push-ups and not "girl push-ups." excuse me!??

man, i hate that. "girl push-ups"... yeah so they are easier, but that doesn't mean that all girls do them. why do we have to call them girl push-ups?? lots of strong girls don't do them and lots of weak boys do do them. maybe they should be called beginner push-ups, knee push-ups, or weakling push-ups... rather than slapping on a gender to the name that implies men have superior bodies. i don't like it. one. bit.

so, yes i can do push-ups and not the "girl kind" either. and instead of just showing you, we are going to have a competition. the loser makes dinner... and does the dishes.

it's on jeremy... it's on like donkey kong.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

3 years

on this day in 2007, jeremy kissed
me for the first time...




and we have been kissing ever since.

rain, rain...



{i'm loving this}

Saturday, October 23, 2010

date night




we met some buddies at Marley's for the grand opening of their new location in provo.
everything is 50% off this weekend and we really liked it (especially half price!!).



nothing like gourmet sliders and shoestring fries... delicious!



they had a concert going outside for the celebration where i was introduced
to Benton Paul... and i am now a fan. yeah, he's good. Marley's will have live music going
tomorrow night, too. it's a happening place guys!

what a great night with my favorite boy.


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Yesterday...


was the end of the 10 day Challenge. I learned a lot about myself and I also got this sweet t-shirt:



The challenge was really helpful to me. I have stood in front of the mirror countless times and proceeded to pick myself apart. Now I feel like I can look in the mirror and be quicker to say positive things about my body. I am more grateful for the incredible things my body can do. My body is intricately and beautifully designed by God. It is strong; it can bring life into this world; and it can run and play. I really enjoyed keeping a journal throughout the experience. It was interesting to just write and then see where my thoughts would take me. Here is one journal entry that I feel really helped me understand the purpose of the challenge:

10.18.10
What was your experience today (using positive self talk)? Write for at least 10 minutes.

My experience with paying attention to my thoughts was really good. It was fun to pay attention to my thoughts and when a negative one ever came I would replace it with a positive thought like, “You are so great!” etc. It was really fun. I think I had a really good day because of it. It really is important to watch what you are thinking to yourself, and change those negative thoughts into positive ones. I need to be more aware of my thoughts ALL of the time. I shouldn’t be down on myself. There is enough crazy stuff in the media and in the world in general that can bring me down… I need to work hard to fight the kind of stuff that destroys self confidence and not fight along with it- against myself. It’s crazy how you can get roped into that stuff and become someone who regurgitates the messages the media sends and break yourself down in the process. I think this is where prayer and scripture study come into the picture in this sense. If you are combating the media’s influences with the influence of God we will be able to measure our worth more like God does, and not as the world does. Daily scripture study is important because of many different reasons, and I think one of them really is to combat the sly messages coming at us daily from the various outlets of the world and media. By making scripture study a priority, we are choosing to make God’s opinion and view of us more important then what the world would say. We are reminded of the endless and unconditional love God has for us and we can realize again and again our divine potential. The gospel is so amazing! I am so thankful for its influence. I am going to continue trying to monitor my thoughts and keep them positive- I want to be on the Lord’s side when it comes to building my self confidence and self esteem, not on the world’s side.

I am going to keep the 10 Day Challenge packet close by, so whenever I start to slide back into comparing myself to malnourished models or photo-shopped pictures I can remember where my true beauty lies by doing the challenge again and again. It was a great experience.

"Beauty is simply reality seen with the eyes of love.” Learn to love yourself, it's one of the greatest things you can do for you and the ones you love.


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

finished



and i love it! i hope my future kiddies appreciate this plate.
we will be using it for every birthday and special occasion.


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

denial.

i'm in it.

yes, sir. i need to get serious about this GRE business. i have been studying here and there, but i really need to buckle down. this one test determines my future: grad school or no grad school. and this one test is coming up... FAST. in approximately 10 days (10 DAYS!!), i am taking it whether i am ready or not (hide and seek, anyone?). and i really want to go to grad school. and i really want to learn more about how to help other people. and i really want to be a therapist.

so here's to studying... studying hard, and hopefully succeeding! here we go.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

a little blonde



i bleached a section of my hair on my lunch break yesterday.

well, a professional did...

gotta love the young life.

date night



we went to Chili's and then to Color Me Mine for date night with amber and ryan.
painting ceramics is one of my favorite things. i LOVE it. the girls did plates; the boys did mugs. mine is the "celebrate plate" and jeremy's is the mug with the built in cookie holder. we get to pick up the finished pieces on wednesday!


Thursday, October 14, 2010

another one


today at work i tried a cucumber.

and whew... that thing was naaaaaasty. the initial taste was good (ranch dressing is always tasty), but it went downhill fast. my coworkers laughed at the faces i made (half in disbelief, half in amusement) and then quickly offered me the garbage can. i passed and went for kleenex instead. they asked what i didn't like about it. they are funny people. ummm... how about everything but the ranch- yeah. they suggested that maybe i would like cucumbers peeled... and... i don't know about that.


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

mormon.org


have you been to mormon.org recently?


well... you need to. i love the site! the profiles of Mormons around the world are incredible. i especially love the profiles where the videos have been made. they are so well done and truly inspiring. i could watch these all day... as long as i don't get too teary-eyed. they are just great.

some of my favorites (click):

PARIS Rose Cassandra Mia ROCHELLE Vance Sally DENNIS Ryan

ok ok... so every one that i watch is my favorite. go check them out!

p.s. i was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 14 years ago today! it is a wonderful thing!


Sunday, October 10, 2010

per request


i give you....
the peppered roast!

the peppered roast was originally my cousin jill's recipe. my mom got a hold of it and tweaked it a little to make it crock pot-able and it is soooo easy. you only need two things: a chuck shoulder roast (i buy anything that says "roast" on the label) and montreal steak seasoning- both pictured below.
put enough water in to cover the bottom of the crock pot. sprinkle the seasoning on the roast and then turn it over to get the other side. cook it on high for 4-6 hours and now you've got a delicious main course. add some green beans and sliced potatoes covered in seasoned salt and you are all set. enjoy!


Saturday, October 9, 2010

Run for Bun





I had a lovely run this morning along with tons of
my cousins. What a perfect way to honor Bunny. She is such an inspiration. P.S. I ran the 5k in 25 minutes. Woot Woot!

Friday, October 8, 2010

10 Day Challenge

Remember how Stephanie Nielson came and spoke at BYU about loving
your beauty... well, the Recapturing Beauty campaign continues!

and i LOVE it!



The 10 Day Challenge:
"The purpose of the 10 Day challenge is to offer one exercise each day that will encourage participants to address the way they view themselves and help them develop a greater love and appreciation for who they are as divine beings. The exercises presented in the challenge are designed to shift our focus away from the messages of the world and into a place from within; a place where we are completely conscious of what true beauty is. As we continue to practice and develop these types of exercises that focus on discovering beauty from within, we can feel at peace with ourselves and appreciate the blessed gift that our bodies are."

I love this! I always need the reminder to be grateful for my body rather than wishing it was a different size, shape, or composition. You should do the 10 day challenge with me... let's love our beauty- inside and out! Just go here to get the details for each day. Even if you aren't here at BYU to sign up, just download the calendar of challenges and follow along to be inspired by great quotes and meaningful scriptures that teach us what true beauty is.

I am excited guys... if you couldn't already tell.


Thursday, October 7, 2010

i did it


what? you ask. well, there are two exciting things i did this morning...

numero uno: i signed up for the GRE.
woot woot!

i am taking it on October 29th at 8:00 am. and then i will be
DONE! but in the meantime... i have a LOT of work to do.
but i studied geometry last night and i am now more
confident with all those tricky triangles. i can totally do this.
(hope so anyway! wish me luck)

numero dos: i bought rain boots!

yay!

- online, they didn't have them in the store :( . i went with
yellow, because i have a bright red coat... and a red coat with
red boots was just too much for me. they better come soon.
i have some MAJOR puddles to splash in.

what exciting things have you done today?


Tuesday, October 5, 2010

a complete 180

hey guys... i am back to ramble on about getting in shape. i can tell you are thrilled.

thanks for all of your comments though on the last workout post. you guys are great and so nice & helpful. i took your advice and i went and got my percent body fat tested yesterday... and i am happy to report that i am 27.7% FAT. lovely isn't it, but kind of not- i like to think that i am 72.3% FAT FREE, hah. 22-30% fat means "Moderately Lean- Fat level is generally acceptable for good health." so i am generally acceptable. great. well, now i have something of substance to shoot for, rather than a number that changes if you give up water for a day (i am talking about weight here). i want to be in the 18-22% fat zone meaning "Lean- Lower body fat levels than most people. This range is generally excellent for health and longevity." that's what i'm talking about! i have a loooooong way to go. i am going to get my fat percentage tested again in december and my goal is to be somewhere around 22-24%. i am not sure how realistic that is... we will see in december i suppose. i am going to focus on turning my fat into long, lean muscle with cardio, weightlifting, and yoga. and maybe there is some truth to eating veggies... i will have to ponder that one.

but i am telling you... EVERYONE should hide their scales and just pay attention to their measurements and how their clothes fit. my scale is still "missing" and it is so nice. those numbers can't control my mood or the way i feel about my body anymore. it's great -but dumb that i let it get to that point.

Monday, October 4, 2010

puddles


it has been raining all day... and i LOVE it.
the puddles put me in the mood to splash around in these beauties:

red or yellow?
(click on the pictures for details)







i am pretty sure i
need them...
should we go spend the rest of that target gift card, sweetheart?

yeah, i think so!


Sunday, October 3, 2010

4 ingredients=magic


check out the cookies we made tonight:


mint delicious-ness! they taste like ande's mints in
cookie form and they are soooo good.
we "made it up" by mixing mint chips with
the classic homemade oreo cookie recipe (which has probably been done before, but we feel like
we made it up)
. here are the specifics: 1 pkg devil's food cake mix, 2 eggs, 6 tbsp melted
butter, 1/2 bag of mint chips- mix together. bake at 350 for 8 minutes. so easy! you could
still put them together with cream cheese frosting if you want. :)
enjoy!

October Thoughts

Don't you just love Conference? I sure do. It is so uplifting to hear from so many of God's servants. What a blessing! I am already looking forward to the November Ensign.

October conference always reminds me of when I was diagnosed with my blood clot two years ago. I was diagnosed and immediately put on anti-coagulants the Wednesday right before conference and I was admitted into the hospital in Bucharest, Romania late Friday night when my conditioned worsened. I was able to download a couple of talks with the sketchy internet connection during General Conference and they offered some comfort during a time when I felt... well, terrified. "Come What May, and Love It" by Elder Wirthlin was one of the talks I downloaded and it was just what I spiritually needed to make it through those tough times.

I am so grateful for the living prophets. They are inspired men of God and they know Christ. They teach us the eternal truths we need to know. God is our Father. He cares for us and He loves us. Through prayer we can council with God and find peace and comfort through our hardest trials in life. We are never alone in our trials. Christ is always there waiting for us to turn to him. I know these things are true. God is good in every way.

P.S. Here is a video of where I lived in Romania that Robby just posted... It's kind of run down, but I miss it!

Friday, October 1, 2010

ZOMBIES AHEAD!


This morning on the way to work, Jeremy and I saw this:



(It wasn't this exact sign [picture found here]... but the sign did say "Zombies Ahead")

All week the sign has been telling us that the road will be closed next week,
until this morning. LOVE IT!! The sign is now back to it's original announcement.

Welcome October!