How'd I do?

I surprising held my own playing church ball last night. We have a pretty decent team. And I love the fact that they have so many activities for adults here in Cache Valley. There was a 50+ yr old woman who was a baller! Drainin 3's and whatnot.

I had a pic of an old lady playing basketball here, but she was older than I wanted ... and it was just kinda creepy for me to see her everytime I got on our blog. Yikes!

Even though I hadn't played basketball in ages, YEARS even, I did fairly well. I love being able to see the different my working out has made in playing basketball. I love to hustle and be the first one down the court on both ends. But back in the day, I was never really one for endurance. Or speed for that matter. Last night, though, I could tell a big difference. Don't get me wrong, it was a great workout, and I was totally red-faced afterwards, but I felt good the whole time. AND I had at least 7 sweet swats. Collin was impressed. That's good enough for me. He said I played great defense and made some great plays. I'll take it! Bring on next Wednesday for our next game, which luckily is at 8pm instead of 9pm. That was so late, I was so tuckered out that when I tried to get up for 5:30am Turbo Kick, I just shut off my alarm and curled back in bed. Good times though! (ps... lost another pound. which was probably my weight right after our honeymoon cruise... again, I'll take it!)

I used to have this poster. LOVED it! I'm not as "gung-ho all-about-girl-power" as I used to be, but I still love this picture.

What a day!

I got up early this morning so I could get a new windshield for the subi. It was under warranty through February so I only had to pay for the installation fee. Then I had about 45 minutes to kill before I had to go to work, so I drove around for a minute and then realized I had some stuff to drop off at D.I., so I went inside to check out their selection for our White Trash party night. i was OVERWHELMED by all they had to offer. I couldn't even decide. I was in the shoe section for way too long and couldn't decide. I'm planning on going on Saturday with Collin so we could come up with something together! I'm excited though!

Church basketball starts tonight! I put up a facebook status today and my dad and Jen threw me back in time. It was so nostalgic to think of when the Eastlake girls played (this is when Amy, Jen, Emily and I were all in Young Womens, and we'd sport the black t-shirts with the names we had put on them). Amy had one that said "Brick" for multiple reasons, I'm sure. I can't remember anyone else's but I'm pretty sure that one's my favorite.

After my sisters had graduated from YW and ward boundaries changed, I played my last years with the Webster Lake ward. My most memorable moment was when I blocked some chicks shot right into her nose. And BROKE it! Sorry, lady! Then, awhile after that, she ended up moving into the ward, I think. Anyway, good times with Church basketball! I'm excited and nervous for it to start tonight!!!

WAHOO!!!!!

This just in.... well, the news came yesterday, but still exciting today. My sister, Emily, who is preggers with twinners, will deliver/have her C-section on Feb 9. Both babies are breach, so that's why the c-section. I'm SO thrilled to see what these little dinkers look like! I love the names that they came up with, too. I was a little hesitant for a minute when I heard they'll name the boy Cruz, but I think he'll be the most adorable little Cruz there ever was. And Ella? PERFECT! I love Ella, and I know Emily does too! Perfect!

Now, we just have to figure out when Frontier or Southwest will give me a good deal so I can fly out there! Hopefully that will be soon! I'm so excited!!!!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

This weekend, we're going to a....

WHITE

TRASH

BASH!

How hilarious is this idea?

Our sister-in-law, Nicole, is the gem who came up with it.

It's just Collins sibs and spouses, so pretty quaint, but obviously we have to dress up!

Does anyone have any trashtacular ideas? Please let me know if you do!!!!!!

YESSSS!!!!! (fist pump)

Lost another lb! (I've lost 7 lbs if I go off of my chubbiest days of 09!) I'm somewhat surprised, since wknds are hard to stay on top of the healthy eating. I'm still staying away from candy and soda though! Wahoo! I've kind of taken myself by surprise. I don't think I've ever been so devoted to being healthy. Except for the one phase in life where Brooke and Jaime had calorie counting books in the condo. I was practically forced to watch what I ate. Those were good times! Sidenote: Carly just told me that Jaime is preggers and going to have a baby THIS wk! CRAZY! Crazy awesome!!! So I'm having an internal battle! As most of us know, whether to our dismay or not, Valentine's day is coming up. What's my favorite part of the blessed holiday? The candy, of course. I have stuck to my guns in not having candy. 25 days. That's huge for me! BUT... I'm trying to decide if I should be able to reward myself and have some of my favs for V-day, or if I should stick to my plan and not indulge! What do you think? Any suggestions? I guess I should talk to my bro, and see what he has to say, since we are in this together, the competition that is. Any comments would be helpful though!! :)

Snowy Saturday in Logan!

This week we have gotten quite a bit of snow. It's absolutely beautiful, especially in the evenings when the town is covered in a blanket of a cloud. The foggy nights are the best, and we've had lots lately. Anyway, with all the snow, it's the perfect time to hit the slopes.

Apparently there is a mountain/resort only 30ish minutes away. Beaver Mountain. "The Beav" as the locals call it. I haven't had the privilege of experiencing the Beav just yet, since this is my first winter in Logie. So, with all of the snow, today, Saturday, is the ideal day to hit up the mountain, strap on your board, or skis and do the thing.

BUT... (there's always a but)

I'm working. I love my job, and it is nearly perfect in every way, and I'm so blessed to be employed at such a crappy time in the Economy. The one and only downfall... I'm still working occasional Saturdays. I respect the convenience of having a bank open on the weekends, but I remember the days when the banks would close on Saturdays. It's not a business day. We're not THAT busy on Saturdays (customers are still getting used to us being open). We'll never be closed on Saturdays, but it'd be a nice thought...

Even though I'm slaving away, here at work (haha) Collin is at the Beav doin his thing! He hasn't boarded in years, so I'm glad he gets to go. But I'm still bummed I couldn't be with him. Our time will come though. He said "we'll go another time together" which I highly doubt. I don't foresee it happening this season. I know it's super pessimistic of me, but I'm just thinking realistically. We didn't go last season. We've dated plenty of winter seasons, but have never gone together. Hopefully I will be proven wrong!!

* a little update *

I've decided to give a little update on my progress with the resolutions I set at the beginning of 2010. It feels so long ago. But, I've been working hard to stick with it! I have NOT had any soda, including DDP. I have NOT had any candy, including all of the wonderful items I pass every day as I walk in through the grocery store to the bank. And I HAVE been working out nearly every day. Needless to say, this is going great for me. And even better, it's going great for my brother, Cory, too. My mom talks about how he's contantly working out. I'm glad we're doing this together, even though we're hundreds of miles away. My favorite part is that we text most days out of the week. It's been fun to talk with him so much. Of course I chat with my sisters all the time and have little convos over the phone. But, it's been awesome to have this little thing with Corihor. (I copied this picture from Tiffanys blog. Thx Tiff.)

So, back to the progress. Everyday, I've been doing something active, whether it be Spin, Yoga, Body Pump or Turbo Kick @ Golds. Or just good old cardio/lifting. And some days, like last night, I'll play volleyball.

(Sidenote: I'm the setter for our rec league team and we play a 5-1, so I set all around. This is only the 2nd wk, so we're still meshing. Anyway, there was a tight pass, so I jumped up and slammed it down. We just happen to be playing these chicks that are all coaches throughout the valley, so they dug it up, but it was such a sweet hit ... I can say that, since I'm usually a setter and NOT a hitter... right? Ya, I'll say it. It rocked. And THEN, the ball kinda went skiwampas, so they ended up just trying to dink it over. Stuff Block from me on the right side!!!! Ya thats right! Take THAT!!) I felt like this chick! Chelsea Goodman! She's AMAZING... and awesome.

Back to the progress again. I get on the Wii Fit every morning to track my progress. It is so smart, that little wii board. Stand on that thing and it'll tell you your BMI (body mass index) and Weight. You can set goals, check your wii fit age and mark your days with a stamp. There are fun graphs that give a cute illustration of what you've done. It's really amazing, which I'm realizing as I jot all of this down. So, long story short, my BMI has decreased 1.2 and I have lost 6.2 lbs since my chubbiest days last yr. I'll take it. And run with it.

Pre-Welcome Baby Owen Party

Over the weekend, we had Kristy's Baby Shower. And it was every sense of the word a SHOWER for baby Owen. He's coming in 5 wks (ish... hopefully less for Kristys sake) and we are all SO excited for her.

The little banner of hanging baby items was one of my little contributions to the fiesta. My sisters, Amy and Jen, gave me the excellent game idea of hanging the banner, taking it down and then having the guests guess what was on the banner. Whoever got the most correct, won a prize (provided by creative Kimi D). The other game that Kim thought of was to give everyone a clothespin at the beginning of the shower and tell them that if they said "little," "cute" or "sleep," then whoever heard them say the words, could take their pin from them. And if you heard someone say them, you could take their pins. Whoever had the most pins at the end would win a prize too...

The gorgeous Denney's. Laura and Kim were the party planners and I helped out as much as I could. Laura and Ryan were SO generous to host the party, especially since they had JUST moved back home from Buffalo. What a whirlwind for them, but such a perfect party for Kristy and baby!

What a perfect excuse for so many friends, family and loved ones to get together. We are all super excited for Brett and Kristy to be mommy and daddy to little Owen. Can't wait!!!

Who Does That?

Collin! My Husband! With the Etch-a-sketch I got him for Christmas. He whipped this up in 15 minutes or something. It's a depiction of our place. Our address (half of it... 271 W). The stairs that go down to our basement. The Christmas tree that is now sitting on top of our library shelf style coffee table. The shovel that Coll uses to shovel the snow. The little mouse that we can hear between our basement ceiling and the upstairs level as we lay in bed with the night stand and lamp next to it (that one is little, under the mouse). So creative. I love that guy! Collin, not the mouse.

He did another one, but before I could take a picture of it, he had erased/shaken the picture away. He did it in 5 minutes while I was finishing dinner for him. I didn't know what he was doing until I brought in dinner. It was something like "I love you. I just do. Can't Help it" in block letters. He's too cute! I Love it! I'm so easily won over by this guy.

Happy 26th, TOOTS!! Love, Dollies!!

Nearly 7 and a half years ago, this beautiful gem walked into my life! What a day! My life has never been the same. Full of laughing, dancing, and all sorts of shenanigans, there are so many memories we have together!

It all started freshman year in good old Chipman Hall of Helman Halls at BYU. Brooke was the phenom of the Women's BYU Soccer team and way outta my league on the popularity scale. She was the epitomy of the "IN" crowd, being the girl who had it all from California. As the homely girl from Colorado, I didn't know if I'd be able to contribute much to the friendship, but as it turns out, I'd say we both benefited from the blossoming relationship.

Our Junior year, we were finally roommates, living at the condo. And then, after being there for a few years, we moved over to Highland Park. We've had great roommates and great times at all the places we've lived.

I loved supporting Brooke at her soccer games. We even got to play on an intramural team together, which I'm clearly a novice, but it was such a blast to play with her and some of the other alum. We definitely had a few flag football teams too. So fun! Playing sports with Brooke is the best, because she's the most competitive person you'll ever find.

We had tons of dance parties from the comfort of our own home, and unfortunately, we have PLENTY of footage to prove it (could be serious blackmail in the future). We rocked the dance parties of Provo throughout our singlehooddome, obviously!

So many good times with this Lady! She's one of a kind and I'm so happy she's my friend! I love her to death. And I'm so excited she found her knight in shining armor AND married him last year AND that they're expecting a baby in June. So fab! I love it!

Why do I always do that?

Man! We had such a fun weekend (Saturday) down in Utah County, but what do I do? I leave the camera. I didn't take a single pic. I'm such a nerd. We went down for Jacinth and Keve Bybee's Wedding Reception at Thanksgiving Point. It was beautiful. She was beautiful and we got to see so many wonderful people. Collin and I met up with the Denneys beforehand and then were able to see so many fabulous faces. Jayci and Anna were bridesmaids of course. And Jacinth's family was there. And even a few familys, Petersons and McQueens, who've moved from Colorado to Utah in recent years. It was great! I just regret not taking any pictures.

After the reception, a group of us went to Brett and Kristy's new place and played a bunch of games. New games, even. I couldn't tell ya what we played, but I had a great time, and loved being able to spend a little while longer with friends, rather than having to drive back up to Logan right away. K&B were nice enough to let us crash there so we didn't have to leave so late.

I'm lucky enough to take another trip back down this coming weekend for Kristy's baby shower! I'm thrilled for them to have baby Owen! With parents like Brett and Kristy, he'll for sure be a stud! I can't wait to help them spoil him!!

Subzero

It's really cold today. Freezing. Below Freezing. I'm loving Logan, but it's so cold. I changed the background because I thought this was much more fitting for the winter. The other one was too fall'y anyway.

NEW Super Mario Bros Wii

I have bags under my eyes and a tiny blister on my thumb. Back in our younger, single, more lively days, we could stay up until all hours of the morning, but now it's a different story. We try to go to bed by 10 or 10:30pm. Last night, we stayed up WAY too late (1:30am) playing this game. It was such a blast and we just couldn't stop. We probably would have kept playing had I not gotten frustrated due to my incoherence and poor playing skills that late. We finally peeled ourselves away from our WiiMotes and the TV, read a quick chappie in the BofM. When my head hit the pillow, I was out. Collin apparently tried to ask me what time I needed to wake up, to set the alarm. No recollection of that whatsoever.

7:52am rolls around. Oh crap! I had to be at work by 8:30, which meant I needed to be out of the house by 8:20 at the latest. I'm a champion and made it happen. Still, I doubt there will be anymore 1:30 outtings for the sake of Wii, no matter how much fun the game is. I don't want this to deter anyone from getting the game, because it's so much fun! So, go out and get the game, but just pace yourself, or set your limits so that you don't get bags under the eyes, blisters on the thumbs or almost make yourself late for work.

I wish...

• Sometimes (all the time) I wish that there was some place you could go, online, that just spit out the cheapest price and dates to fly! Collin and I are planning our vaca for 2010 and are super excited about it, but I'm having the hardest time with flights. We know it won't be cheap, but at the same time, want to get the best deal. Who's to say that just after we book flights, another deal gets better?

...Cheapflights...Kayak...Cheaptickets...Orbitz...Expedia...Hotwire... ETC...ETC...ETC...

• Kind of a metaphor for life in some ways... Dating. Jobs. Everything really! Just go stick yourself out there and do the thing! And if doesn't work out, try to change it. And if you can't, you just gotta be happy and make it work! So, if that's what we gotta do, that's what we gotta do.

• UPDATE:

Hasta la vista Lb#1

1 down, 10+ to go!

UPDATE: A Challenge with a Twist

Yesterday I was texting with my brother, Cory! Coolest brother ever (easy for me to say that since he's our only brother)! Turns out even HE reads my old bloggy blog. Lucky me! He decided that he wanted in on MY resolutions, and also wanted to put a little wager on the challenge. So, while he's piggy backing on my resolutions, we're going to see who can lose the highest percentage of weight loss, like they do in The Biggest Loser. And also keep to the no candy, no soda thing!

We're not putting a date on the thing, but we're just going to see how long we can go in working out at least 5x's/wk and cutting the sugar/soda out of our diet. After a little while, when 1 or the other breaks, we'll figure out our weight loss and what does the winner get? Mmm! Good question! A date night! Dinner and a movie, or whatever! This was pretty appetizing to Cory, since they have 4 adorable kids that consume most of their time. It's looking pretty good for Collin and I too, since our date nights typically, and happily, consist of Wii, Redbox or ordering out!

Now that it's in writing, its official! It's ON!! I'd open this up to my other sibs, but 2/3 sisters are preggers, so that probably wouldn't be too smart. But, Amy, and spouses, you can join if you think you're up for it! :) I'm excited to feel a bit more healthy and better about my body! I don't care about getting skinny minny, but I am all about looking a bit more toned and not so soft. I'm not going to put a before picture up because I think that's gross! Hopefully in the coming weeks, the normal pictures will be noticeable in terms of the toning and weight loss.

"How can we keep up with these?"

Those are the genius words of my most wisest eldest sister, Amy, commenting on my Resolution post. What a fabulous question! She is fabulous, isn't she?! I agree with her 100%. How will we keep up with these? Intense goals, although feasible. I plan on updating my progress here on the bloggy blog.

Between yesterday and today, I hit 3/4!! 75% ain't bad, right? I woke up both yesterday and today to hit Gold's dark and early at 6:30 am. I'm easing my way into the intense workouts. So, I'm excited to get that going. As for soda and candy, I nailed both of those... while being tempted, mind you! I had to pick up a few items in the grosh before leaving work. It's so easy to snag a quick Snickers or some Shocktarts (a few of my favorites) especially when they're having a good deal. NO, I said, as I walked out the door. Then, we went to a football party to watch the lame Fiesta Bowl. What a ridiculous game. I don't care who you were rooting for, that game was awful both ways. TCU was crappy, and BSU was mediocre, but pulled it off. Anyway, pizza and sodas were served. DDP was in the house. I went straight for the water and stuck with that the whole night! Wahoo! Take that!!!

So, long story shorter, I gotta get in touch with that organization to start volunteering. Or do something service-oriented. Once I get into a routine with all this stuff, it will make a nice difference in my life!

Oh ya, to add a little bit more to my workout goals, I want to try to lose 10 lbs before our 1st Anniversary. 3.14. Is that manageable? Is that healthy? Well, that's what I'm trying to do! 10lbs in 10 wks! Hopefully all these goals will help me pull through.

It's that time of ...

2010! You've thought about it! You've had tendencies! What am I talking about? New Years Resolutions, of course! It's already the 4th day of the new year, decade, 2010, the "20-teens"... whatever you want to call them! So, what better time do we have to make our cliche resolutions? That's what I thought! So, here goes...

• Shed some of those newlywed LB's. My goal is to work out 5 times per week. I know that's hefty goal, but it's totally manageable. Not necessarily 5x's @ le Gym, but 5x's doing something. Collin has 2 night classes, so that will work out great for me to get out of the house. Ward basketball is starting up, and so is Rec volleyball. Hallelujah, someone from the ward asked me to be on her team. She's intense, so I KNOW it's going to be a great team. I'm thrilled!
• No candy! This is a super tough one for sweet tooth over here. I LOVE candy. I'm obsessed with sugar. And my bank is in a grocery store for crying out loud. I have unlimited access to it all day every day. But, I say unto me, NAY! No more candy. It'll be fun to see how long this one lasts. I'm not doubting myself, but it'll be hard, that's for sure.
• No soda! Including Diet Dr. Pepper! It's no wonder they have that fabulous commercial with the DDP's finding their way back to the candy aisle, where they belong. I love candy and I LOVE DDP. It's the only soda I drink and I'm not addicted to it like some of my friends were or have been! ;) But even still, I do love the stuff occassionally. So, I will be trying to cut down on the soda intake. Collin's a great example, because he hasn't had soda or any form of carbonation in 7 years or something crazy like that! So, I can do it if he can.
• More service! I feel like I've been lacking BIG time in this realm. I have more than enough time to set a portion aside for some service. Collin used to volunteer at a place that taught immigrants English. What a gem, right? So, ya, I am thinking of calling them up and seeing when I can come lend a helping hand... or... ear... or ... intelligence? Whatever!

That's my list so far! I don't want to get carried away, so we'll start with these! Let the games begin! Over and Out!