Thoughts

There are a couple thoughts rolling around my head today.

First thought of the day....Booking last minute flights can be hazardous to your health. Not really...but I booked a flight to a meeting in Salt Lake that was supposed to be today...and it got cancelled this morning. I'm just happy I came into work to receive the notifications before I headed to the airport.

Second thought of the day....I just glanced at a picture of my boys and thought. "Wow I have amazing kids. I love them soo much."

Third thought of the day....I am going to miss my kids like crazy while in DC next week. I'm grateful for the opportunities to advance my knowledge and training and I will always welcome them as they come. I will miss my kids like crazy though and will look forward to having a peaceful Christmas with them after I get back.

Fourth thought of the day....I really am looking forward to going to DC next week. As much as I will miss my kids and as mentioned before I will be missing them like crazy and wishing I could've afforded to take them... I am looking forward to building up the relationships with my co-workers, gaining new friendships, gaining new knowledge to further my effectiveness in my job, and just being able to experience new things and new places in the Countries capital. It should be a memorable trip.

Gratitude

The talks and lessons in church on Sunday all focused on gratitude, which was no surprise given the holiday. But the relief society lesson was the one that really got me listening. The teacher was talking about being grateful for all that you have of course, which is part of gratitude. But she also mentioned something that got to me.
Be grateful for things that you have instead of focusing on things that you don't have. Which we all know is standard, but instead of saying "Oh I hate doing laundry it never seems to get all the way done" Say instead "I am soo grateful to have these clothes to clean, because it means that I am surrounded by people who love me and care about me" or instead of "I hate exercising, its such a pain" try saying "I am grateful to have a body that allows me to move and function, and I'm grateful I have the ability to keep it strong!"
In the teachers case, she had been struggling with her husband constantly being gone due to work. She had been particularly mad about it one day when she visited some family. Her grandmother had lost her grandfather 8 years ago and it was an eye opener to her because even though her husband is gone alot, she can still call him or text him and know that he will be home soon. In her grandmothers case, she has no way to physically contact him. That experience humbled her quite a bit.
So I'm going to try it. When negative thoughts creep in my mind, I'm going to turn it around and make it positive and see what kinda happy spot I can move into.

Oy!

Its Monday again...thats for sure. I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend...I know I did! I honestly wasn't expecting much of anything. I really enjoy my family time so because it was an off year, I really wasn't planning on having the warm gushy Thanksgiving feeling. No offense mom and dad...I enjoy spending time with you. But Thanksgiving never seems to be the same without the whole family.
Except for this year.
This Thanksgiving was soo peaceful. Me and Ryder hung out with Carol, one of the tenants at work, for a while in the morning then met up with Mom and Dad, and a family from the ward at The Garden House. That food was DELICIOUS! It was just a really nice experience and one that I hope to repeat in the future. Afterwards, me and Ry went back to work and hung out with the tenants at their Thanksgiving Dinner. It was really a good time, very comfortable and peaceful.
The whole weekend really ended up being great. Betsy helped me order my first Christmas Cards ever...and I got alot of cleaning done.
So I learned my lesson...Thanksgiving is just about being thankful for all that you have, not just the gathering of family or lots of food.

Family Pictures!

I'm rather excited about these....my boys are not little boys anymore! They are turning into handsome young men! I'm not thrilled about me looking kinda retarded in the family picture but it all good hah! Thanks to Abbey Kyhl at www.abbeykyhl.com who took them...she did a fantastic job!

Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow...I figured I'd better dedicate a blog to it. This year's Thanksgiving is going to be a bit scattered with the family splitting up to in-laws houses and such and the boys are going with their dad. The tenants at work invited me to their dinner so me and Ry are headed there then off to eat out with my parents after. Should be a fairly good day I think.
So on with the show.
I am thankful for my family. I know I say it alot, but I feel soo blessed to have such a great family. We are supportive and loving of each other and I know any one of thems got my back. And I got theirs too. Its soo nice to know theres a safe spot to fall if needed, a listening ear, good advice givers, all that jazz. I love you all.
I am also thankful for my boys. They are such a blessing. Some days are better than others and some days I wonder what it would be like to have my life go in a different direction. But when it comes down to it, I like my life. Yes I've had trials and such but they have made me such a stronger person and I truly wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for the opposition I've faced.
I am thankful for my job. In this economy I'm grateful to have a job...but even more grateful to have a job I love. I look forward to coming to work everyday which is not something many people can say these days. It's hard when I have to give reality checks to people but its worth it to be able to help those truly in need.
So Happy Thanksgiving to all and I hope ya'll have a great Thanksgiving day!

Hello World

I realized I haven't blogged in like....7 days. Mostly because of my Dallas trip and partly because I was super busy. So on with the show!

*Dallas was good. I learned a LOT of awesome things that I'm bringing back and revamping my program with to make it alot better.
-While in Dallas, I was actually not the normal out and about girl I am at trainings, but the new counselor A and I went out to the Galleria Mall one of the nights and it was a blast! There was a dude dressed like Santa waving cars in and in the mall there was a ginormous 4 story tree. Under it was the ice skating rink and it was amazing to see! It made me more excited for Christmas. While at the mall, A introduced me to Sephora. Wow I love that store. And then we got introduced to some guy at Macys doing free makeup "makeovers" when I got done I kind of looked like a cartoon character...and my eye brows...well...Ryder could have done a better job filling them in. So we headed back to Sephora and I re-applied my face again. After that we browsed some little shops and ate at a cute little french bistro type place.
-The place we were staying (The Fairmont Inn) was only about a quarter mile away from the Grassy Knoll where JFK was shot, and the book repositorium (sp?) which was kind of an awe moment to think that we drove down the street where he was shot and was soo close to that place. I'm not a history buff by any means, but it was kind of cool to see.
-Also, while in Dallas, I missed my kids insanely. The other trainings I've missed them but haven't focused on it too much. This trip...I was really wishing they were there. Didn't help that seeing all these cool things made me want to show the boys.

*I'm really starting to look forward to the DC trip. Yet another trip I really wished I could take the boys to, because there are soooo many things there they would love. We've been talking about it in the office though and there are soo many cool places we are planning on visiting. Its going to be a long, fun, but sad (cause I'll miss the boys) week.

*I am soo excited for Christmas to be coming. I cannot wait. And this year I get the boys for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I got a bit irritated at D and his ridiculous behavior so....I told him straight up this is when I'm taking them so too bad if you had other plans. So that makes me happy.

Anyway...I think thats all for now. I hope everyone is doing well and hope ya'll have a good rest of the week!

Dallas Here I Come

I'm leavin...on a jet plane...dunno when I'll be back again....
Yes I do. I'll be back Friday. Hehe.
Today I leave for Dallas. I'm excited to go to this training because I will be attending a loss mitigation negotiation class...where I will learn how to negotiate better. This is a trait I do not possess at the moment. So big bad Lenders...after this training...here I come! Watch out for the soon to be queen of negotiation! I hope. So anyway...in good ol' Dallas style....ya'll have a good day now! :)

This Week

This week is going to be a semi-busy week. Because I leave for Dallas tomorrow afternoon...I have SOO much to do to catch up for the week. Its gonna be a tad bit crazy. But I love it cause that makes time go by quick. I've also been contimplating my life and I will tell you this, our Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways. One reason I wanted to move to the Enoch home is because I wanted a fresh start in a new ward with a bishop I'd feel comfortable with. So that was the main reason I was rather disappointed that I didn't get in to one of those (besides owning a house obviously). Well on Sunday, we got to church and I almost thought the ward times had changed because I didn't recognize anyone on the stand. We got had gotten a new bishopric! And the new Relief Society President is amazing. Her newest rule is that no sister sits alone. We need to unite as a Relief Society and be like a family. After going to church, I truly feel like all things happen for a reason. I was meant to stay where I'm at and Heavenly Father made the rest happen for me. I feel soo blessed, beyond belief and feel my prayers were answered. So theres my testimony to that today...He's there and he listens. Things just have to happen in their own time.
Now its off to work for me...have a great day all!

Gettin Crafty!

SO when we moved I got rid of ALOT of stuff. Including our Christmas stockings I just realized. But have you priced those things lately? Holy cow! The cheapest one was $8 for an ugly blah sock! The cute (and highest priced ones) were $25! I was amazed! So I decided to get crafty. We went to JoAnns and I let the boys pick out their own fabric...and by the way our "mantle" i.e. stair rail is going to be VERY colorful...and I am making our own this year. I'm actually kind of excited and I think they are going to turn out kinda cute. Colorful and not very christmasy...allbeit...but cute all the same. I'm hoping I'll get them done this weekend so I'll post pics when I do.

And yes...I'm thinking about Christmas early this year. We already have our tree up and everything. But this is mostly because I am going to be gone next week and gone the first week of December. Figured we'd start early. :)

Have a good weekend everyone!!

An Affidavit To My Ah HA!

So I have had a realization this morning.

If you want energy....in addition to eating healthy....

You need to SLEEP!

I went to bed at midnight last night and boy am I feelin' it today. I forgot the little fact that I had gone to bed between 10-11 the two days I've had energy.

Guess this is a learning experience! Time to quit pretending to be a night hawk teenager and actually go to bed! So there ya go.

Healthy Eating + Sleep = ENERGY!

Tonight....early bedtime.

As an add on...tomorrow is Veterans Day and I have the day off. Woot woot! So I just want to say that I am soo thankful for all the veterans who write that blank check out for their lives....all to defend my rights and freedoms. And to keep up safe. I honor and respect all veterans, from all eras and all walks of life.

Thank you.

Ah HA!

I had my Ah Ha moment yesterday.

Many people probably already know this little gem that I discovered, in fact, I even knew it. But I had just forgotten.

I ate fairly healthy (besides those really yummy peanut butter things mom made) all day long and as consequence....

I had LOADS of energy!

So much energy that I got more than half of my laundry done (only 4 more loads of clothes, and 4 beds worth of sheets to go!), got the kitchen and the living room tidied up, got both the boys' bedrooms and my bedroom clean.

Versus the normal "I'm soo exhausted from work I just wanna sit here and do nothing" that usually happens.

And...I woke up early this morning (not even trying to) and was able to get me (actually doing my hair and makeup) and Ryder ready and all the boys were ready by like 7:15. Which means we had a spare 15 minutes to just kick back and chill until we had to go.

So there is definitely something good about this eating healthy deal I've started. I kinda like it. I feel amazing and I definitely feel like I finally put on my big girl pants and kicked myself into gear.

Yay!!!

The Weekends and Thoughts

On Saturday me and Ryder went to Grandpa and Grandmas house to clear out the garden. We were hoping to get it all done in the morning before they got home from cleaning the church, but it didn't happen. Thats hard work! We got the corn cleared out and put in Grandpas truck by about 1 pm then went in for lunch. After lunch, finished up the tomatoes and tried to get the beans out. But the beans kicked my butt. I babied out...I know I shouldn't have. But I did.

Sunday I definitely felt the effects of hard work. I apparently need to do a bit more hard labor so my body doesn't hate me as much the next day. Or two days after. But it didn't stop me from re-arranging my living room so that when we get our tree we can put it up in the corner.

Which got me excited for Christmas! I can't believe Christmas is next month! I love Christmas and everything that has to do with Christmas. It's such an awesome time of year!! And I'm thinking as soon as I can get a tree I will be doing so. Our other one was filled with cockroaches when we moved, so I had to ditch it. But the per diem from the Dallas trip next week and the DC trip a couple weeks after should catch us up financially and set us up Christmas-wise. I'm pretty excited I do gotta say. I'm hoping to actually decorate this year too. So happy Monday everyone and have a good week!

Impressed...and Humbled!

So as I'm logging into my systems today, a headline came up on my RS Newsfeed that caught my eye. A Canadian elderly couple won the lottery of about 11.3 Million Dollars...and gave the vast majority of it away! "What you've never had, you never miss." said the wife, Violet.

How true are those words!

Whats amazing to me is that she has cancer and is undergoing chemo. But even with this expensive fact, they only kept about 2% "for a rainy day" and gave the rest of it away. They took care of their family first, then donated the rest to two pages worth of donors they had decided on including local fire and police departments, cemetaries, Red Cross, the center that was doing her chemo, and several other places.

Wow...I am soo happy there are people in this world that still care about others and prefer to share their wealth rather than keep it all to themselves. Especially where the wife has cancer! And could definitely use the money to pay for it!

I don't know that I would be so generous. I know I'd cut in my family and pay back my parents for all the help they've given me over the years. There are a couple other places I know I'd make a contribution to, but all in all I'd be keeping and investing that money. Which is kinda sad really. That is why the article humbled me so much I think. Others selfless acts have a huge influence...maybe I need to quit being so selfish and find ways to help and serve more. And not just monetarily, but with simple acts of service too.
So thank you to the Large family of Canada...you are a great example and definitely have humbled my heart!

Off Week

I've been having a bit of an off week...so because of that its time to list things that I am happy for so I can balance out my negative energy. Cause its getting kinda troublesome. So here goes.

1. I'm happy that I have such loving parents. I wouldn't make it in this 'lil world of mine without them.
2. I'm happy I have a job, and one that pays pretty good.
3. I'm happy that I have good co-workers who support me and are there for me for even the littlest things.
4. I'm happy I have 3 awesome little boys, even though they have been a bit mischevious the last week.
5. I'm happy for my great clients who are always willing to do what I need to help them progress.
6. I'm happy for the church, it gives me a sense of comfort when I need it most.
7. I'm happy my kids have such great teachers in school, and go to such a good daycare.

So thats it for the day. Hopefully the day will improve and things will get back to normal soon.

Halloween

(grandma got a picture of Ry in his actual Woody costume....he was pretty cute. minus the tantrums)

I just realized today I didn't post a single thing about Halloween. Slacker. Yes. But its mostly because we had an uneventful holiday. Nate and Tyler were with their dad in Parowan so we didn't get to spend any of the holiday with them. Ryder...well he was ornery. We went to the sheep parade and he LOVED it...but wanted to follow the sheep around all day.

First tantrum.

Then was hungry, so we went to Dennys with Will. He was really hungry and the food was NOT being brought fast enough for his liking, so along came.....

Tantrum number two.

We headed home after that...and he fell asleep thankfully. Until we got home.

Tantrum three....

for having to take a nap. Which he didn't end up doing. So when 4:30 rolled around we were going to go to the 2nd ward carnival thing. Except Ry was boycotting his costume.

Insert tantrum four here.

Finally talked him into wearing Tylers costume and went to work for some of the tenants to see...which they loved. But he was tired. And wouldn't say trick or treat.

Tantrum five.

We did make it to the church to eat what was left of some good chili, which Ry didn't want to eat and then tried to go downstairs to the "carnival" booths...where he kicked and screamed cause he didn't want to be there.

Tantrum six.

So I gave up. I remembered that I had forgotten candy so we stopped by the store on the way home (which I was grateful I'd remembered since the kids came a knockin and cleared out the entire candy stash) and he was out cold...like a light. And stayed that way the rest of the night.

So...Halloween was rather uneventful for us. Hopefully next year will prove to be a slight bit better...with less tantrums.

De Biggest Losa!

As mentioned yesterday, the family pictures were a bit of an eye opener for me. It made me realize just how much chub I have aquired over the last year. And longer...but mainly over the last year.

Wow.

So my new goal is to stop being like

THIS

And be more like

THIS

So today is not going to be day 1 like I thought, but its going to be my prep day for day 1 tomorrow. Mostly because I was going to start getting some food ready for today last night...but fell asleep really early. (Although I am still eating healthy today... just not all the recommended foods)

So today...my friends...is a new day.

What I'm planning on starting tomorrow is the 6 Week Body Makeover by Michael Thurmond. It is a great program thats not really a diet. Thats what I love about it. So a run down of the program. Because I am a Type A body (I took a cool little quiz to figure that out) I will be needing to eat more lean meats like chicken, turkey, fish, etc and lots of veggies. Lots of fruit as well, but the ones with less sugar like grapefruit, berries, etc. And I got to eat 3 meals a day with 2 or 3 snacks as well, just in better portions. So I'm gonna be eating like a mad man which will be a new experience for me since I usually don't eat all day then chow when I get home.

(its blurry...and not me...sorry...but this is what ya do)

Then after blueprinting my body, I designed a workout plan to work the parts of my body that I want to trim down. Its a really cool process all in all. I kind of had fun blueprinting my body and deciding what I want to change. The workouts consist of muscle training (done with tension bands) and cardio (which can be as easy as taking a walk). All are easy exercises to do so I know I won't flake out and give up.

And maybe...I'll be a success story like this lady. Although I don't have 385 lbs to lose thankfully...but its a bit inspiring to see someone with so much fat to lose, actually lose it. I don't have excuses anymore. So here we go. On to a new journey for me. And I'm kinda excited about it. :)

Double Posting!

Its a two in one whammy today...woot woot! But as mentioned in my previous post today...I am feeling a bit whale-ish and its getting to me. So I'm going to be semi-tracking my journey to be more mermaid-ish than whale-ish here. I was considering starting another blog, but I know I won't keep up with it. So....ya'll get to hear all about my up days and down days...mixed with with the normal jazz that goes on in my day. So I'm going to try to make tomorrow day 1. I will intro the program I'm using tomorrow and hopefully tracking things publicly will get my butt moving and keep me in line. So anyway...here goes it!

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken last weekend and it was such a good time! I got the proofs today and I think they are soo cute! I can't wait to get the pictures back. I am not...however...happy with our family pictures. And this has nothing to do with the photographer or the pictures...it has to do with me. You never realize how much weight you gain till you have pictures taken. This is the butt kicking I needed to start my diet plan. Holy wow. I'm hoping by next picture time...I will not look like a beached whale. And some may say "aww don't be so hard on yourself!" but yeah...its time to be hard on myself.
Anyway...the boys looked awesome so did the rest of the family! I can't wait to get the actual pictures back so we can get holiday cards done maybe this year. I'll post as soon as we do get them done.