running tip

the other night i declared to jeremy that i had learned something very important that day. it went something like this:

hey babe. usually when i run, my nose starts to get crazy and i have the sniffles the whole time. it is so annoying. but today when i was running, instead of looking down, i looked straight ahead and it was great. no nose problems.

you run looking down?

i guess so.

you don't look straight ahead when you run? weird. (as he proceeds to act out each scenario)

ok, so maybe this isn't much of a running tip since i am apparently the only person that runs looking down. but if you happen to have the same problem... stop looking at the sidewalk and look at where you are going. it makes the whole run more enjoyable.

i'm a quilter.

i sewed the top and bought the fabric for the back and... that's all i have to do.

you see... i stumbled upon a business card for the two sweetest ladies. i called them tonight to check pricing, availability, and to see what they offer. all i got was good news out of dear brenda. turns out that the pair quilts quilts and even binds bindings. i don't even have to go back to the store to get the batting or binding material... they have all that too. everything was cheaper than what i was expecting, so i was SOLD in about 30 seconds. when i asked how long she thought it would take, she replied they could get it done in the next day or two. so i high-tailed it down to springville to drop off my colorful jewel and discuss the details of the quilt. brenda and cathy thought it was fun and kind of crazy. but it is going to ROCK! i can't wait! because of the thread color we settled on, it won't be done until next week - which i am still completely thrilled about. the next time i see that zig-zag masterpiece it will be FINISHED!... i'm loving it!

so i may not be a quilter since i'm not actually quilting my own quilt (i didn't want to mess it up after all the work i already put into it), but i am definitely a sewer... not a sewer, a sew-er. of straight lines anyways.

so harsh

i'm home and the harsh reality is that i am back at work.

thanks for all the fun riley. i had a blast! although it is very nice to see my hot husband again. family is the greatest! next time i come for a week, mom and dad, you guys better be there to hang out with me for more than a day. ha! i have also decided that i need to play dominoes WAY more often. mexican train is a family favorite.

i am definitely missing the good weather in vegas. it has been a mix of clouds, rain, and snow around here today, which isn't very motivating when i have to run three miles when i get home from work. boo!

Boom Boom

from a closed road in las vegas we bring you...

"Move, Shake, Drop Remix"by Flo Rida, Pitbull, and some other guys

here are the dance moves if you want to learn:
boom boom, hop to the wiggle, jump Z left, skaters, jump Z right, cymbal tap,
high knees, windmill, toxic, boom boom, freestyle, tire run, butter churn,
statue of liberty, horsie, sexy body, karate lunge, gangsta hug, frantic,
boom boom, freestyle, gliders, rump sizzle, chest pop, freestyle, boom boom die!

birthday girl

happy birthday momma!

i love this picture! we are always laughing.

you are fabulous, great, and beautiful. thanks for
being the best mom EVER! i hope you have an exciting day... i know you
will since you are off on some cruise having way too much fun. we will
be sure to celebrate some more once you get home. I LOVE YOU!

photo by justin hackworth

summon your power animal

just go to the enchanted forest...
and when you feel your power animal approaching,

click, and it will be revealed to you.

no joke. riley showed me this today. it's hilarious.

my power animal is the unicorn!
riley's is the buffalo. what's yours?
i would love to know!

go here!

free time

this has been day three of complete free time. it is GREAT! i have been spending my days: working out, crafting, dancing... repeat!

working out - the training for the half-marathon in june started on monday. so far i have followed it perfectly. woot to the woot! ok, so it's only been three days and i have tons of time on my hands, but hopefully i can keep it up.

crafting - my quilt (that i was going to start months ago) is coming right along. i am surprised that i have gotten so much done. it's going to rock! i am excited. i have never made a quilt, so as far as the quilting and binding... i am TERRIFIED! but i will just keep working on the top part and worry about that later.

dancing - me and rye have been working on our dance moves the last two nights and i think we are finally done. we will smooth it out tomorrow and make sure we remember it all and then on friday... we have to perform it at the ward talent show!! ha. that should be entertaining.

well, that's all i have been doing. oh, i also made dinner and did some dishes.
don't worry momma... i'm taking care of rye.

jabbawockeez

riley and i went and saw the jabbawockeez last night at the monte carlo.
it was a pretty sweet show. they have some CRAZY moves!
it was a great fhe activity.

picture from here

a couple of things

first.
my bracket is ROCKING! who knew?! i'm either in first or tied for first in all three of the groups i'm in. for my family's group the winner gets a $25 gift card to where ever they want... so hopefully my predictions will continue to be accurate. oh, and can we have a shout out for those cougars?! woot woot! except for i have them losing their next game, so i hope they are happy with their accomplishments thus far.


second.
i am in VEGAS! i arrived this morning and i'm here for a whole week (don't worry guys, my out of office auto-reply email is soooo professional. aka BORING). i'm just hanging out and watching my little brother, who's 18, while the parentals are away - you know, since i'm such a responsible adult. i will be a stay at home mom for the next week with a "child" who is completely self-sufficient. so we are just having fun! be expecting another dance video soon. we have finalized the song and have some ideas for the location. i don't know who will be in charge of the camera work since j's not here to be in on the fun, but we will figure something out.


third.
i miss you already jeremy... especially since rye ditched me tonight to go to some big, formal dance. apparently, it's all the rage these days for these high schoolers. but i hope you survive without me. don't forget about the homemade lasagnas in the freezer!

our green

happy st. patrick's day!

don't you love how almost everyone is wearing green today. i think there should be a holiday for each color... it would be hilarious! let's all wear orange on april 25th. deal?

lent: week 1

i haven't had desserts for a week. a whole week people!

friday night i was ready to give up. just throw in the towel and eat every sweet treat in sight. i'm still surprised i didn't. it's just so hard to decline goodies, but i think it is getting easier. i have passed up gummy bears, cookies, dessert pizza, hot chocolate, candy, cinnamon rolls, and cookie ice cream sandwiches in the last week.

but you know what? it feels great. i think i actually feel lighter. weird. i don't need all that junk anyway!

new running kicks

they aren't exactly as bright as i would like them to be... but when a girl
overpronates and has wacky feet she just can't be picky when it comes to color.



the shoes are great and expensive, so they better be. they are a big improvement compared to my old shoes i got for $25 at the outlets years ago. i totally recommend getting new gear to get you out and exercising. i wanted to buy the whole store. (jeremy, maybe we should start exchanging gifts for easter...) i just wish cute clothes made the actual running easier. i still get tired, sore, and i sweat a lot... it's just glamorous i tell you.

smoothie recipe

i am loving my fruit smoothies!

it's the best way to get lots of fruits and even veggies into my diet - which i desperately need.

today i have my trustee recipe for you.
i just throw things in the blender and let it whirl! but here are the approximated measurements.

4 ice cubes | handful of spinach | 2 spoonfuls of plain yogurt
1 cup-ish of frozen berries | 1 cup-ish of orange juice | 1/2 of a large banana

this is a pretty basic recipe for a thick smoothie, it makes a little more than one glass. you can subsitute the frozen berries for any kind of frozen fruit to change up the flavor. sometimes i skip the banana if i don't have any. i have found that orange juice makes a HUGE difference in the taste factor. it's delicious! just watch out for the fruity mustache that always seems to follow! or is that just me? :)

well, folks

today jeremy sent a very polite e-mail declining temple university's offer.

it's officially official...
we are going to BOSTON!
can i get a hoo-RAH!??

there is no turning back and we feel fabulous about it. fab-u-lous i tell you. i would sing it from the rooftops if i could get to the rooftops. maybe i can settle for the top level of a parking garage. boston is where we belong! and i think i might burst from excitement. literally... BURST! it's a serious miracle that we both got into the programs we wanted in the SAME place. wow! don't worry, gratitude prayers are being sent up left and right. we are so glad to make a decision. boston... here we come (in about five months anyway). are you seeing all of this excitement oozing out of your computer screen?! woot woot!

this sunshine...

just might get me out and running today.
it's gorgeous out there.
(remember how i signed up for a 1/2 marathon! ahhhhhhhhh!)

and so it begins...

lent is what i am talking about.

do you know anything about lent? i know a few things, but i am no expert. it's a christian tradition of sacrificing something for Christ. it starts on ash wednesday (tomorrow) and goes until easter. it symbolizes the fasting Christ did for 40 days before his public ministry. it is a time meant to grow closer to God and become more Christ-like. mormons don't traditionally participate in lent, but hey, why not?

this year for lent i am giving up sweets, more specifically candy, cake, ice cream, cookies, brownies, etc. (i tried the same thing in 2008 and failed miserably after 4 days, maybe i can be better this time around.) i'm still going to have syrup on my waffles and eat honey-nut cheerios - so i'm not skipping out on everything sugar, but i'm just cutting out the extra treats that i really could do without. i gave up chocolate last year with my mom and it worked out, so hopefully i will be able to do it- so far, so good!

lent officially starts tomorrow... but i'm going to be home for my mom's birthday in a couple of weeks, which means we will have delicious wafer cake that i just can't miss out on. so i am starting my lent today, because i want to eat cake with the fam. i personally think it is an excellent solution.

are you giving anything up?

glad i called

today i called the boston schools on my lunch break to "check my application status"- a.k.a. see if they could give me ANY information. i was worried about calling them since i called a week and half ago and they didn't really have anything exciting to tell me. one said i would know in a few weeks and the other said 4-6 weeks. but i called anyway... because i'm so brave and all.

i called boston college first. she said that my file was still under review, but that they would probably have a decision by the end of the week and i would get a letter next week. i thought this was awesome news. i could find out next week. yay! unless i get rejected... then boo.

i called simmons college next -these guys originally told me 4-6 weeks, so i about chickened out. but the phone call went like this:
"oh we sent out your acceptance letter on friday."
"wait, i got accepted?!!"
"yep."
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!? OH MY GOSH! this is AWESOME!! YES! This is great news! i can't believe it!"
"yeah, and we sent it to this address: blah blah blah. is that right?"
"yep, that's me. i think i could cry! AAHHHHH! WOW! THANK YOU! have a great day!!"
"you too."

she must think i'm nuts.

we should hear back from boston college next week, but looking at the two programs i am leaning more towards simmons anyway. it's an awesome program with all sorts of specializations in Mental Health/Addictions, Trauma, Children and Family, and more. i love it! we will see. this is so much FUN! i can't believe i got in!

wow... glad i made that phone call.

and now i owe my dad dinner.
what a great bet to lose?! ... can we go to pei wei dad? i LOVE pei wei.

Jeremy at 25

Disclaimer:
We were both in goofy moods.

How old are you?

25 and a day

What are some things you like to do?
Love to play sports- basketball and golf specifically. Love to play with my wifey- anything, it doesn't even matter what it is, as long as we are both involved- it's beautiful. I enjoy watching ESPN- not so I can learn to be a professional athlete, I already have that down, but to learn how to handle myself when the cameras are in front of me. I especially admire the way Kobe Bryant handles himself in front of the camera.

What do you like to wear?
Ummm... Well, basketball shorts, jeans, t-shirts, polos, sneakers.

What is your favorite color?
Blue

Favorite treat?
Doughnuts

Favorite food?
Steak

Favorite movies or TV shows?
Movie- National Treasure. TV Show- ESPN. The Office would be number two

If you could have any super power what would it be?
To Fly

What have you learned in the last year?
To do as little as possible to get by, thanks Richie. To work as hard as I can, thanks Katie.

What things make you happy?

To see other people be happy and succeed, that's fun to watch. My wife has been succeeding very much lately and that makes me very happy. Being with family, I don't know, just the normal stuff... the Gospel.

What about your wife?!
Family??? You're my number one babe.

What are you looking forward to this year?
An amazing, fun-filled summer... followed by our new adventures with graduate schools.

Who is your best friend?
Do I have to answer that!? YOU.

Thanks for the interview Jeremy!
Oh, he's such a funny kid.

happy birthday j!

today is jeremy's birthday! yay!
i just love birthdays.

he is 25! wow. so old!

check out the fun pictures i had his mom send me:


he's the one on the right, except for the picture with the christmas tree. (well, i think so anyway... i can barely tell the twins apart when they were little.) happy birthday to you too richie!

here are 25 reasons why i love jeremy:

1. he calls me "sweet girl"
2. he works hard
3. he loves cinnamon toast sugar
4. he tells me i'm beautiful
5. he believes in my goals & dreams
6. he puts up with my craziness
7. he loves my family
8. he's not afraid to cook dinner
9. he loves burgers and fries as much as i do
10. he never yells or really even gets mad
11. he reminds me to read my scriptures
12. he is soooo funny
13. he does the laundry
14. he thinks i'm so brave
15. he is ambitious
16. he is a good kisser
17. he sings all the time
18. he makes the best homemade cards
19. he buys me mother's day presents
20. he lets me take LOTS of pictures
21. he's always up for a spontaneous lunch date
22. he films our dance videos
23. he supports me in anything i do
24. he is HOT
25. he is the nicest person you will ever meet

happy birthday cute boy!
you are my favorite!

welcome spring

hey there march! welcome.

these tulips you brought with you are
ready to bust out of the soil.
it is so refreshing.

i believe this means spring is on it's way and...
it is just great.

i'm ready for the rain, the pretty flowers,
and the yellow sunshine.

thanks for coming!