2010 Goals

So I know that it's a bit early for New Year's Resolutions, but these are some things that I've been thinking a lot about lately. So I decided that I had to write them down and get them out there or I'm sure that I'll forget ones as the holidays swing into full gear, plus it just makes me excited for new beginnings! So my first goal for the year 2010 came to me during Sacrament meeting one Sunday and then that evening it was reaffirmed to me during a fireside that I attended with my friend Tiffany. I've decided to travel to and attend a session in every temple in Utah. That means 13 Temples in 12 months, that shouldn't be too difficult. I'm actually really excited to do it! I have a couple of friends who are going to attend with me, but I just realized that one is leaving in July, so we might have to do it in 7 months….oh dear.

Goal Two is really the same old goal that everyone has every year…loose those excess 10 pounds already! We're actually starting a Biggest Looser session at work tomorrow that runs until February 12^th, so just enough time to get serious about excising and eating healthy again. Under this goal would of course include things like running another ½ marathon and two 10k's. It's time to get my butt back in gear and make it smaller :D

Goal Three is one that I tried to start this year, but failed to really get it going. I'm going to get my Personal Training Certificate before the end of the year. I know, that gives me a long time to do something that shouldn't take that long, but I'm being generous with myself. Realistically I'd like to do it in the first three months of the year and then be able to start working with individuals, but we'll keep the time line as the end of the year.

I'm sure that there are more goals to come, but for now, these are them :D

Inspirations

I'm sitting here watching The Biggest Loser Season Premiere and I can't believe what I'm seeing! It scares me how big these people are and how much baggage they are carrying. I'm so glad that this show started again tonight cause it's always such an inspiration to me. This season it's three fold for me, I'm excited to get up in the morning and get my butt to the gym tomorrow (since I did miss this morning!). I'm also feeling the need to get in gear on my studying to get my training certificate so that I can get out there and help people that are in the same situation. I'd love to have it by the end of the year, that's my goal anyways! The last reason that I'm so excited about this season is because I'm sitting here with both of my parents watching this and just hoping that it inspires them too! They are doing awesome though right now, getting themselves to the gym and eating healthier. Hopefully we can all continue on our quest to be healthier. Happy Biggest Loser Season everyone! MWAH!

Flexing Your Muscles

You've heard the saying that practice makes perfect, and you know by experience that lacks of practice leads to a deterioration of talents or skills attained. For example, if you work out for one month, 5 days a week, you'll notice that your endurance will increase. You can run further and faster, life more weights, swim harder, bike faster, the hills aren't as challenging, but you know you could push yourself harder and not want to die mid hill. After one month you stop going to the gym you go back to your old habits of grabbing McDonalds or ordering Pizza instead of that salad and you live a relatively sedentary lifestyle. One month passes and you feel the desire to return to return to the gym sparked by the 5 pounds you put back on. You try to pick up where you left off and mid work out, you actually want to kill yourself for taking off that time. You've lost so much of the progress you made. Your form is shaky, your breathing is harder, you sweat more and your muscles hurt more! That basically describes what I'm up against in the dating world. One of my friends made the comment that she didn't know how to flirt anymore, and I'm right there with her! After taking so much time to define ourselves and to figure out our jobs, our roles in our families and in our wards we seldomly flirted just to flirt. Now that we're at a point in our lives when we really need to have exercised and perfected that skill, we're basically back to where we were when we were 16 and just starting to date. Hopefully this skill is more like riding a bike than like trying to lose those freshmen 15 and we can recover with some time to flirt with Mr. Wonderful before it's too late!

Inheriting Traits

 

I don't cry very often, especially in public, but this weekend of July 4^th I found myself near tears a couple of times as I listened to and participated in singing some of our Patriotic songs. I had the sudden realization Sunday morning that this is a trait I've inherited from my father. You see I've only seen my Father shed tears a handful of times in my life, while my mother on the other hand could and would cry at the drop of a hat! I remember sitting in church singing a hymn and noticing my father wiping away tears. I didn't understand than that he was being moved by the Spirit. Now that I'm older and understand the workings of the Spirit I'm always touched when I notice my Father crying, and it's usually always while a song is being sung or performed. I have a deep love for music and there are a few that move me to tears on a regular basis, but it's through the Spirit that I truly hear and feel the words of a song as a prayer of the heart. My Father is an incredible man (as a man with 5 daughters has to be!) and sharing this trait with him is something that I will always treasure!

Yummy Yummy Dinner!

Tried this last night, not only is it easy, but delicious!

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

1 large egg white
2 tablespoons minced toasted pecans
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 small (1/4-pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of visible fat
Low-sugar, low-fat honey mustard salad dressing or dijon mustart to taste (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a small nonstick baking sheet with olive oil spray.

In a small, shallow bowl, beat the egg white with a fork.

In a small bowl, combine the pecans, parsley, and salt. Spread half of the mixture on a sheet of waxed paper. Dip 1 chicken breast into the egg white to coat. Place the smooth side of the breast on the nut mixture. Press to adhere. Place the breast, nut side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second breast and place on the baking sheet, not touching the other breast.

Bake for 20 minutes or until no longer pink. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve with honey mustard dressing for dipping, if desired.

Makes 2 servings

Per serving: 183 calories, 28 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat (less than 1 g saturates), 66 mg cholesterol, less than 1 fiber, 379 mg sodium.

Pillars of Strength

Today is Mother’s Day, and while it is almost the end of Mother’s Day, I wanted to write down the feelings that are currently whizzing around in my head. I thought a lot about my Mom today. This is the second Mother’s Day that I haven’t seen her in a row now. I’m excited for her to come home soon! She taught me a lot over the years. She taught me how to walk and talk (even though I still managed to screw that up for a number of years until a professional was brought in to fix it!). She taught me how to make Sunday rolls (drool worthy!). She taught me how to juggle a million different things while making my friends and family know that they are things that really mattered. She taught me how to love and how to respect people. She taught me how to drive (okay, with a little help from Dad!). She taught me how to love the Savior and how to serve him. She taught me to relax every now and then (diet coke with my feet up—I prefer Mountain Dew, but again, Dad had to be sprinkled in there somewhere!). My Mother is a pillar of strength in my life. My Mother is an amazing Woman, but I have been blessed to have many other examples of amazing Women in my life.

This weekend I ran in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Salt Lake City. Three years ago it was my first 5k, now I’m training for a ½ marathon! However, this is still one of my favorite races. You don’t run this race competitively, you run it united. The Susan G. Komen Foundation is a foundation for the research of Breast Cancer. This year there were 18,000 participants at the event, many of them were survivors of Breast Cancer. My family has a strong history of Cancer, lots of variety even, but this year while I was running this race I was thinking about my Aunt Wendy. She’s another amazing woman in my life. She recently fought breast cancer and every time that we talked about it she came across as “no big deal, I can handle it”. I’m sure that behind closed doors she had her moments of doubt and worry, but when it came to the people that she loved she didn’t want us worrying and stressing about her. Aunt Wendy has always been someone that I looked up to. She was always on the move. She has become a very successful Real Estate agent in the Seattle area and loves to Travel! While battling her cancer she went on a cruise! (My kind of woman right there!) She’s my Dad’s baby sister, but I know that he respects her. I remember her coming over for dinner on Christmas and just taking a genuine interest in us. She always impressed me as being strong and determined, but knowing who she was and also showing those around her respect. She is a pillar of strength in my life.

I got to spend some time with my sister Shannon last weekend. She married her adorable husband Erik almost two years ago and they frequently invite me up for dinner. They are always willing to share their dating/marriage wisdom with me, but it isn’t what they say that really impresses me. It’s how they treat each other and how they both lived their lives before meeting each other. Shannon was 36 when she married Erik and had lived most of her adult life in Utah, part of the time with roommates and part in her own place in Bountiful. I was still very young when she went away to college, but I knew that she loved me and I missed her. It wasn’t until I was in college in Idaho that I really started building a friendship with her. I would occasionally get to come to Utah for a weekend here and there and I’d spend most of those times with Shannon. If it wasn’t for those weekends when I could run away from college life I probably would have gone nuts! We didn’t even do things that were that spectacular, but I always had a good time with Shannon. She showed me how to be happy even when life wasn’t what you had expected. She showed me the importance of having and exercising faith. She’s still teaching me about forgiveness and unconditional love. I know that she is going to make a wonderful mother and that her kids will never have to wonder if they are loved or who to turn to when they need help. She is a pillar of strength in my life.

When I was in college my sister Dani was diagnosed with Leukemia. I remember feeling so helpless and honestly, angry with the Lord. I didn’t understand why he would let something like that happen to someone so good and who still had so much to do in this life. At the time her youngest was only 6 months old. Looking back at the situation now I know that she is the only one that could have endured that with the kind of faith that she did. It was through this traumatic situation that our family became closer. We finally realized that we can’t take each other for granted and that we would be willing to do anything for each other. I’m more like her than I think that she knows. We share some of the same passions. I actually was studying from the same teachers that she had studied from at college when she was diagnosed. She used to be very firery (if that’s a word, but anyone who knows Dani, especially when she was younger, knows what I’m talking about) and full of…well…fight. Growing up with Dani around I always knew that she would fight for what she knew to be right, and she wouldn’t give up on it either. While marriage and family and health have quieted her some, I still know that if given a reason to fight she will, and she’ll win! That’s how she beat the Leukemia and that’s why she’s a pillar of strength in my life.

My sister Nicole is one of my best friends (I think that all of her sisters would say this!). She was always there for me when I was in high school and college. I can’t tell you how often we’d talk. She definitely got Mom’s nurturing side. She’s still the one that I talk to constantly and that I miss all the time. I was lucky enough to be there to help her when she had her first baby, Tyler, almost 10 year ago! Then I was there when she had Nick, almost 6 years ago, but then when she had Zoe she had to do it on her own. We had just moved to Utah a year before and she is still in Washington. Zoe was born premature and I remember hearing my Mom talk to her on the phone. I could tell that she was scared, but I knew that Nicole would figure it all out, and she did. I think that going through that alone was something that she had to do. I believe that it showed Nicole that she can do anything, it made her stronger. Yes, Mom was just a phone call away, but through that experience Nicole became Mom to her sweet little family and an example of strength and faith to me. Her love of life and practicality of each situation is refreshing and encouraging. She is so much like our Mom sometimes it’s scary! (I’m sure that she’d say the same of me!) Nicole’s faith in the Lord and her ability to overcome any situation is why she’s a pillar of strength in my life.

I have not always gotten along with my sister Suzanne. When she was in high school we fought all the time! What are sisters supposed to do that are that age right?! When she went away to college is when I finally started to recognize all of her amazing gifts and talents. I regret not getting to know her better when we were younger, but yeah, I already covered that. She recently referred to herself as a jack of all trades, master of none, but she’s isn’t totally correct in that. While yes she is extremely musically talented and very creative, she is a master mother! Her little boy adores her (so does her Husband!) and he is so intelligent and insightful. Sometimes I just have to stand back in awe of some of things that he does and says. Suzanne has an uncanny memory and her little boy has inherited that. You can tell him something and he will remember if forever! On her birthday she wrote that she didn’t picture her life as a mother with a full family. She pictured it singing Opera and travelling. While she would have been an amazing Opera singer and could still be, I know that she is right where the Lord wants her to be. She is an example to me of having the courage to try new things and to reach outside of the box while continuing the work set out for you. She doesn’t really let anything stop her from exploring new territory! She’s done music; including the French horn, tuba, drum major, opera singing, broadwayish musicals, choirs and instructing voice lessons, become a digital scrapbook designer, makes and sells children’s clothing and is a budding photographer, to list a few. I do believe that she inherited our Father’s need to learn new things and put them to use and to just figure out how things work. Suzanne’s drive to expand her horizon while being a fantastic Mother and wife is one reason why she is a pillar of strength in my life.

There have been many more women in my life that are examples of faith, courage, strength, honesty, love and respect to name a few. To all of those women, and to these women in particular, thank you for making me who I am today and the kind of wife and mother that I hope to be in the future. I love you all!

Feeling Good!

My sister Shannon has bought me a new purse for my birthday for the last two years and they have been FANTASTIC! I was so excited that I'd almost made it another year with the same purse when low and behold, it started ripping! :( So off to Target I went today in search of something cute and I found this:

I'm so happy with it! It's totally springy and light and cute! It's not as big as it looks, but I adore it! Happy Spring shopping! :D

Southwestern Chicken Pileup

This is from the Biggest Loser Cookbook. I love it! It's soooo good!!! Makes eating healthy worthy it! Enjoy!

1 teaspoon salt-free Mexican or Southwest Seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 small (1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of visible fat)
1 Whole-wheat pita (6 ½ “ diameter) -if I can't find the regular pita bread I use the pita pockets
2 tablespoons hummus, preferably red-pepper flavor
2 tablespoons no-salt-added canned black beans, drained - I forgot to put these on the first time and it's actually been really good, less calories I guess :D
Several red onion strips
Several red bell pepper strips
2 tablespoons chopped tomato
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons finely shredded cabot 75% light cheddar cheese - I just used regular mild cheddar cheese since I already had it at the house!
4 teaspoons guacamole or fat-free sour cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Preheat a grill to high heat (I use a George Foreman). Sprinkle the seasoning and garlic powder evenly over the chicken. Place the chicken on the grill rack. Reduce the heat to medium. (if it is not possible to reduce the heat, cook the chicken away from direct heat - I don't really worry about this, I just throw it on the George Foreman and let it go.) Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink that the juices run clear. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pita on the grill rack (I just put it in the oven for a couple of minutes at 450 degrees). Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until lightly toasted. Place the pita on a nonstick baking sheet. Spread evenly with the hummus. Top evenly in layers with the beans, the reserved chicken, onion, red pepper, tomato, cilantro, and cheese.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate. Slice into 4 wedges. Top each wedge with a teaspoon of guacamole or sour cream, if desired.

MAKES 1 SERVING

Per Serving: 356 Calories, 38 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (1 g saturated), 68 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 489 mg sodium

It's Difficult

So I'm trying to recommit myselt to being active in my own ward vs my friends wards. That includes all Ward Activities, FHE, Enrichment and all Sunday meetings. So tonight I head off to FHE for our movie night, fantastic activity I must say, but 16 girls and only 5 boys. So remind me why I want to be more active? The hope of meeting someone at an activity with those odds are very slim. Then you factor in that most of the guys there are younger than me, bonus points for me! Oh yeah, Utah singles wards are amazing!

I remember when I lived in Sammamish and girls would move to Utah and everyone would say that they'd be married within a year. HA! I've lived here for 4+ years and I can count on one hand how many dates I've been on. Okay, that might be exaggerating a little bit, but add my other hand and it's totally covered! I guess that's just the hand that life has dealt me, oh well.

Suggestions Please!!!

Okay, so I just got a new iPod Nano and I'm so excited! This is strictly for working out, so I need LOTS of motivating songs. Not motivating in the way of makes you feel so good on the inside, but the kind that make you move faster! So friends and family, starting letting me know what you listen to when you need to get up and move!

Single and Free

Whoever longs for their glorious days of singlehood needs to be slapped upside the head! Obviously they have forgotten about the nights that they sat alone watching tv, the days that they cursed themselves for “drunk dialing” or in our case desperation dialing. They have forgotten about the emotional roller coasters that they went up and down so often that they didn’t even realize they were on them half the time. As much fun as I can have being “single and free”, it sucks! I don’t want to go on vacation alone. I don’t want to go to the movies with the girls….AGAIN. But then, you meet a nice guy. The guy that you know your family would love and that your friends all think is fantastic, but wait, one small problem….no attraction. That’s right, you’re not attracted to him at all, he’s just not your type. You remember how people have said that once you get to know a person they become more attractive to you, but nothing has changed for you yet. So you’re taking all of this in stride and continuing to see Mr. Pseudo-Perfection when he straight up stands you up! There just went the Perfection Persona! So what do you do? Do you cut him out, do you continue to see him occasionally? That is the dilemma. So welcome to the fabulous world of “single and free”.