Summer Break 2020

There are a lot of great things about my job. One of them is our frequent breaks. Every year we get a week off around the 4th of July. I often like to go on vacation, but with COVID this year was a little different. I really wanted to go somewhere but couldn’t decide if it was a good idea. I went back and forth a few times and ultimately decided it was best to stay home. I took advantage of the time to relax and also get some things done. Chelsea suggested a goal to get one productive things accomplished each day. That really helped me to not waste the whole week. I also made some time to do a few fun things too. 

Ale and I hiked around silver lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It was nice and cool and so beautiful up there. It was nice to get outside and enjoy nature. 

July is wildflower season and I tried to take full advantage of flowers I saw

Lisa was in town so we met for an outside lunch with Jackie. 

I am hiking more this summer than over before and it has been so fun. Brooke, Ale, Stacha, and I hiked in Suncrest on a Friday evening. The weather was perfect and the sunset was beautiful. 

This summer and summer break like most of the rest of 2020 are different than the norm, but I am trying to make the best of it. It is much slower paced and home based which is kind of nice at times. 

Thanksgiving 2018

Since I haven't gone to St. George for Thanksgiving the past several years, I always find other things to do to celebrate the holiday week/weekend.

Wednesday was a pretty low key day. I went down to Lehi to pick up my packet for the Thankful 13 race the next day.

Celsey invited family over to celebrate Rem's birthday. 

I ran the Thankful 13 half marathon on Thanksgiving morning.

I hurried home to get ready to go to the Anderson's for Thanksgiving dinner. They are always so kind to include me with their family. After the running joke 2 years earlier about barely eating (since that was meal #1 out of 3), I made sure to fill my plate this time. 

We enjoyed a nice meal, relaxed in the hot tub and pool, and had a great day.

The rest of the weekend was also pretty relaxed. It was perfect.

13.1..Thankful 13 round 2

After running the Thankful 13 the year before, several others of our running friends wanted to run it and get the cool medal and shirt. We had a little bigger crowd this year, and it was fun to all do it together.

JoAnn, ReNae, Judy and I met to pick up our packets and race materials the day before. Unfortunately JoAnn was having some hip problems and wasn't able to run with us. She did come to pick up her stuff.

We all met on Thanksgiving morning to start the race together. Donna and her friend started a little early. Sharon, Mike, ReNae, Todd, Judy and I all started together. Judy, Mike and I ran the first few miles together. Judy and I stayed together the whole time.

The course runs through neighborhoods but also on trails. There are some really parts of the run.

Every mile marker had a gratitude quote and there were many signs along the way of what people are thankful for. Those are my favorite parts of the race.

The first 10 miles went really well. We ran really strong and the weather was pretty good. Judy started to lose a little steam and a little balance so we stuck even closer together for the last 3 miles. It also started raining at that point. We were very happy when we crossed the finish line.

We crossed the finish line, hopped in the car, and hurried home to get ready for Thanksgiving dinner. It is a really good race and a great way to start the holiday.

December Happs

Finally catching up with Michelle, Kimber, and Mikael after way too long. 

Another dinner with friends 

Uncle Dayne’s funeral 

Work party



Murder mystery party

Several dance competitions 

Annual Bookclub gathering at Courtney’s

Pajama party themed white elephant gift exchange party 

December run to temple square to see the lights 

One Little Word-December 2018

In 2018 I want to fill my life with things and people I LOVE and let things go that I do not love. I want to show more LOVE to others and accept more LOVE. I want my life to be full of LOVE.

My word of the year and goals like most years have shifted a bit as the year goes on. I really wanted November to be the month to recommit myself to my goals and get back to where the year started. I tried. I really tried.

YEARLY GOALS
*attend temple 12 times-✔
*send birthday and other cards monthly✔
*nightly gratitude journal-This of all months should have been the best time to focus on this. I started out well and slowly dropped off.
*love my body by continuing health and fitness goals-I have been more focused in November and want to do so again this month.
*monthly savings/budget goal to be more accountable for my spending and save more-it's time to get back to this

NOVEMBER GOALS

*clean up my nutrition-clean eating-better but could still improve

*increase intensity of workouts✔

*put phone down by 10:30 (I did a 10 day social media cleanse last month. I missed sharing my life with friends and family and keeping up with friends and family, but I did not miss the aimless scrolling or time I spend on social media when I should be sleeping. I still really love social media, but I need to prioritize sleep.)-I did not stick to this goal at all

DECEMBER GOALS

*fully engage in CSATT challenge

*finish everything for Christmas as soon as possible

*treats at social events/parties only

*catch up on blog over holiday break

I want to end the year strong!

Random August Happs

August came and went and I am trying to play catch up.


Amanda came into town and some of us randomly ended up at Michelle's one night. It was late and I wasn't planning to stay or even go, but it ended up being so much fun I just couldn't leave.

dinner at The Cheesecake Factory because Michelle and Amanda were in town.

Angie and Symoni played a round of who wore it worst in Anthropologie and I'm still laughing about it.

I met Lisa and Jackie for lunch while Lisa was still in town.

Robyn came to SLC for a convention and I got lucky enough to see her

the Friday lunch tradition continues

Trudy very suddenly passed away and several of us attended her funeral

We celebrated Shawn's birthday at Dave and Busters

The monday night gang crashed Air Design's summer party

How to Decrease your Utility Bill

*this is a sponsored article

Do you ever feel like you're spending way too much on utilities? The way the weather changes here in Utah we often go from AC to heat in the same day and sometimes back and forth a few times. We don't seem to have much of a break so I am definitely paying attention to these tips. 

Steps to Cut Your Utility Bill in Half

by Alek Sabin

When you add up your monthly expenses, does you utility bill take you by surprise? Once you tack it onto your mortgage, car payment, and Netflix, your utilities can add up to quite the hit in the pocketbook. Worst of all, the amount of money you spend on electricity, gas, and water probably varies considerably, month-by-month, depending on the season. This is because you are using more on certain months (more electricity when it’s hot or more gas when it’s cold), and also because gas and electric companies actually change their rates pretty regularly (because who’s going to stop them?)

However, it’s also somewhat good news that your utility bill is such a variable, because it means there are lots of ways that you can lower it on your own. If you’re looking to save a little bit more money, and are looking at your budget wondering how to do so, then an extra bundle of cash cut out of your utilities is going to be pretty nice. Here are some steps to cut your utility bill in half…

Use a Programmable Thermostat

Modern homes typically have modern thermostats that can be programmed to make your climate control system much more efficient. Even if you live in an older home, a smart thermostat is well-worth the cost. A programmable thermostat enables you to set specific temperatures for certain times of day, and to have the system work to bring the temperature up or down at variable amounts, depending on how hot or cold it is outside.

In addition, using your thermostat to only heat or cool your home when you are actually there, or only when you are awake, means that you will be using far less gas and electricity throughout the day. By simply being smart about what times your home is being heated and cooled, you can shave a tenth of your monthly energy bill.

Plan for a Cool Home

Running the air conditioner all summer is a quick way to make your electric bill skyrocket. In addition to using that programmable thermostat, there are many other ways to make your home cooler, without having to use as much electricity. Oftentimes, this just takes a little bit of forethought and planning. Sometimes, this is long-term planning, such as growing trees in practical spots that will shade your home, over time. Other times, this requires short-term planning, such as opening your windows early in the morning to let the cold air run through your home. For more ideas, here is a nifty article about some different ways to keep your home cool during the summer.

Insulation Is Crucial

Few things are adding up on your utility bill like the costs of heating and cooling your home. Indeed, that’s almost certainly the largest portion of your utility payments, by far. In order to combat these mounting expenses, you need to spend some money upfront on making sure that your home is properly insulated. This means that you’re spending less energy to get your home to the particular temperature that you want. There are a wide variety of ways to do this, but the most important way is to insulate your walls and attic. You can affordably do this by using recycled insulation materials, which also are much better for the environment, in addition to be a financially smart decision for your home.

Don’t Forget Your Vehicle!

The fuel you put in your car counts as a utility cost, as well. Because of that, when calculating your utility costs every month, you need to consider how much gas you are using in your vehicle. When you do this, you can strategize ways to spend less on that gas, such as using your car less, using loyalty deals to get lower prices on gasoline, and getting a more fuel efficient car. We often think of our home’s as an investment, but we should also think of our car more in that way, so that we can get the most of our money.

one little word-August goals

In 2018 I want to fill my life with things and people I LOVE and let things go that I do not love. I want to show more LOVE to others and accept more LOVE. I want my life to be full of LOVE.

I took the month of June to re-focus on my word of the year and goals I have for the rest of the year.

YEARLY GOALS
*attend temple 12 times✔
*send birthday and other cards monthly✔
*nightly gratitude journal✔ kind of.
*love my body by continuing health and fitness goals-July was a pretty good month. I am definitely a little too liberal with my treat days.
*monthly savings/budget goal to be more accountable for my spending and save more-I did ok, but I need to fully commit to this again,

JULY GOALS
*Monday-Saturday alpha workout challenge-different word each day to coordinate with exercises✔ kind of-I did it very faithfully Monday-Friday
*daily body love-I started out strong and totally forgot to keep going
*daily self love prompts-✔
*commit to spending budget-see above

AUGUST GOALS
*clean eating
*put down phone by 10:00 so I can get to bed
*weekly extra workout goals
*commit to spending budget

How is 2018 going for you? I am determined to make the rest of 2018 the best it can be.

Current situation

I received these products from Therapedic. All opinions are my own.

Things are kind of bad around here. My room is an absolute mess. We got new blinds in the house about a month ago. I put a bunch of stuff in the middle of the room so it wasn't close to the blinds. I haven't put it back yet because I am in the slow process of re doing my room.

I purchased a new mattress, but I haven't had time to go pick it up yet. Therapedic sent me some new products to go along with my new mattress- Therapedic Cool and Fresh Fiberbed and Pillows. I am so excited to actually use them soon, very soon.

The Therapedic cool and fresh fiberbed and pillows are part of their spring refresh line intended to help keep things cool and allergen free especially during these hot summer months. My allergies have been out of control this year so I am so excited to see how this helps with that.



I thought I posted this a couple of months ago, and obviously I did not. Things are still a mess, but they are slowly improving. I have my new bed set up, but I have more to do still. I bought a bed frame with a minimalist headboard and new bedding and finally am making some progress. The Therapedic fiberbed is so comfortable and the new pillows are exactly what I like. Thank you Therapedic for keeping my new bed fresh, cool, comfortable and allergen free.