Abs Week One

It has definitely been a challenge this week.  I thought it would be easy, breezy but with travel and trying to put my bedroom back together it would just slip my mind.....at first.  

Up at the cabin I did planks and crunches before we headed out to sled.  Kelly joined me when I was holding a plank, stating, "I can do that, it looks easy".  A minute later, not so much.  



Credit

Haha....so true.

I've pretty much kept my ab workouts to planks, side planks, crunches and a push ups.  Actually my favorite ab workout is to hold a  1 minute plank, do 5 push ups  a 30 second side plank, 5 push ups, 1 minute plank and then a 30 second plank on the other side.  I follow it with about 100 crunches. 

With my slightly sore back I've kept it pretty low key.  Of course I challenge myself to a month of ab work right after body slam on the ice.  

I'm sure you remember this picture:



I posted it everywhere.  I was going to try and get a picture with my leg up in the air, but alas, my lower back was too sore.  My mom has had almost an entire lifetime of orthopedic issues (She fell out of a tree when she was 11).  She told me she avoided pain and pain medication by exercising but also listening to her body and if something hurt, she would stop. 

I'm surrounded by geniuses.  

Feb. 1st - 1 minute plank, 30 seconds each side plank, 50 crunches
Feb 2nd - 50 crunches
Feb 3rd - 100's X 1
Feb 4th - The moonshine regret.  (No ab work, dang you moonshine!)
Feb 5th - 100 crunches
Feb 6th - TRX/Suspension training.  It included suspended planks, crunches and mountain climber.

Tonight I'll be taking a Pilates class. 


The best workout ever!  Laughter!

Last nights TRX class gave me a peak into the muscles I pulled while sledding.  You would think I would be in good enough shape, but for some reason I come home with a couple of pulled muscles and lots of bruises.  My right tricep and my right adductor are making it awkward at the TRX class.  Luckily it won't affect my ab commitment.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a mess, but then I realize I'm a sweaty mess. 

I was driving my son and his friend to work the other day when I mentioned it was Ab Month.  My son said something smart and his friend said, "Dude, I do abs every morning.  A couple of yoga moves and some ab work wakes you up and makes you feel refreshed".  Such wise words so unexpectedly.  

How is your ab work going??

Blog on............

Past Life?

So my nephew is going on a mission.

I went to my sisters house to support him as he opened his calling papers. He's going to Paraguay. Sweet, another Spanish speaking family member.

My sister also posted a picture of me in my younger years with a Farrah Fawcett hair-do and a BYU T-shirt.

It all starts up and feels black and white instead of kinda grey. That little line of what I thought and what I was and what I am and how I think is very intricate. All night at work I have felt like I had to explain myself to people when I really didn't have to.

"My nephew is going on a mission, but I'm not Mormon."

I couldn't help myself. It just tumbled out EVERY time. I tried not to say it and I couldn't stop it. Of course I was working at my 2nd job and people there don't know me too well. They don't know about (whispering) BYU and all that stuff. I'm super proud of the decisions I've made over the course of the last 15 years and how I have stayed true to myself and my heart. I feel this inner peace/calm that is amazing. I know exactly what I believe.

Then everything clashes and although I don't change what I believe, I start feeling this righteous indignation about my childhood. As time goes on and I raise my own kids, the feeling gets stronger. Seriously? My childhood was fantastic. My parents made me go to church. I can think of worse problems. That's is what they thought was the very best and it is still what they think is the very best. I think they are still scratching their heads about where things went wrong.

My parents were exceptional in that I was allowed to play with kids of all religions and I never heard them judge. My grandma and great grandma were super gossipers and I never remember my mom gossiping. Very loving, family oriented and hard working parents.

They are awesome, don't forget that.

So are my kids.

I guess I did OK. So far.

Sorry to get your hopes up if you thought this was a "coming back to the fold" post. That would be funny though. I wonder what my husband would do?

My kids would kill me.

Is religious beliefs, family and being right a proper blog subject??

....maybe.....

Unfortunately I can't make this picture any bigger on the blog. Look at those eyebrows! My sister LeAnn taught me those skills! Perfect feather hairdo. I love the trivets and the salad spoons on the wall!!! Makes me giggle.

Blog on!!!

A public announcement

I’d like to thank my parents for the following:

Teaching me to;

SWIM

DRIVE A STICK SHIFT

COOK

DO LAUNDRY

SEW

CHANGE A TIRE

DRIVE A MOTOR HOME THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS TO JACKSON HOLE WHEN I WAS 16

TAKE CARE OF BABIES

GARDEN

FREEZE/CAN/BOTTLE

MANAGE MY MONEY

FIX IT WITH DUCT TAPE

REPAIR ELECTRICAL WIRES – although not necessarily safely

WATER SKI

DRIVE A BOAT

SNOWMOBILE

SKI

CAMP

NOT DRINK SODA – special thanks for using coke syrup when I was nauseated.

I’m sure there is more that I missed, but for today I am especially grateful for these things.

Sifting through my past

I am rummaging through all my storage. The storage that I threw up above the garage and haven't looked at in almost 7 years. Matt and I brought it down and now I'm going through it little by little. It is a pretty tough task. The memories of having babies and young kids. My childhood and the mementos I have accumulated. I actually have a box filled with notes that me and my friends passed around in high school. I am finding things that will help me in putting together my own history. I tend to start a journal and then space out and not write for a while. I am starting to accumulate all those thoughts into one box.

Today I decided that I wanted to wash all my old doll clothes. They were in a box in the garage for probably 3 years and frankly I think there was some mouse poop in the bottom of the box. After gathering them all up, I washed them, dried them and then sat down to fold them. Every tiny piece of clothing brought back a flood of happiness. I remembered them all. All the little blankets and dresses and blankets that had matching dresses. My mother was and still is a great seamstress and I saw her touches in all those doll clothes. I couldn't believe how wonderful I felt and how much I felt like bringing up the dolls and dressing them, wrapping them in their little blankets. I also found one of my head scarves from when I was a kid. My sister, LeAnn and I had matching ones for Easter. I put it on. Matt called me Aunt Jemima. That's gonna cost him!

This experience, in some ways, is like playing an old 8mm film of my childhood in my head. How did I get so lucky? My parents really loved me and did what they thought best. The time and love my mother spent taking care of her family. Sure, she was the stay at home mom, but she did it spectacularly! I still catch myself teaching my kids things and they ask why and I tell them, that is the way grandma taught me.

I miss seeing my mom in her robe making breakfast in the morning. Something she stopped doing about the time my little sister got into high school. By then my dad was retired and she told him it was his turn to get up early!

When I go through my kids stuff, I just want to go back, just for a moment, hold those little babies and nibble on their cheeks.

I am only about 1/2 done. I still have the big project of going through school work. For some reason I kept so much of Austin and Jake's that it takes up about 15 boxes. What was I thinking?

YEAH TO MEMORIES!

Here is a few pics that I picked out of Daniels keepsake box. I love em!!

Jake holding Daniel - 1995.

This was taken at Lynne's house. It's Daniel and I can't tell who's holding him.

A look at what having 4 kids fast did to me. Bangs. Blond Hair. Big shirts. Stretch pants. Plus I dressed my oldest in a tank top and overalls. WHAT??

My little fatty baby. Daniel was a chunk and a half!! This is him at 2 months.

Now he is a tall, lean 14 year old!!

BLOG ON.............

Cookie Day

Every year we meet at my mom's house and have "Cookie Day". We decorate sugar cookies, dip pretzels in chocolate and decorate gingerbread houses. It's a great day and downright delicious!

Austin, Daniel and Sami

Emily and Sami

Sami and my sister Caroline

Jack, the pirate!

My mom

Nephew Matthew

My brother Joe and my dad.

Me and Jake

Daniel and his friend Evan.

Daniel

My Dad

My sister in law, Christie.

Nephew Alec and Austin


It was a great day and I love spending time with my nieces and nephews and my siblings!

Lake Powell, June 09

Whew!
It only took me a good week on the computer getting these pictures together! Once I had the ones I wanted and edited, I couldn't get them to download. Thankfully, that problem resolved itself and today I was successful!

There is actually about 4 blog posts to cover the whole trip. We had such a great time. Sami and Daniel left Monday morning early with most of my family. Jake, Matt and I along with my brother Mark showed up on Thursday morning. We had to work and Mark had to take a test for school.

Unfortunately we were unable to spend time with my brother, Brad and his family. They left just before we showed up on Thursday. They only had a few days at the beginning of the week to be there. We joined my mom and dad, Cari and Cody and their kids, Dylan, Alec, Emily and Matthew. Marks wife Christie was already there with their two kids Abby and Jack.

It was a great time. Although my activities were limited with my foot hurting, I read the first two books in the Twilight series while I was there. I had promised Sami I would read them and I did. I finished the last two within a couple of weeks.

There was a lot of time spent boating, tubing, wake boarding, fishing, playing games, reading and EATING!

Big thanks to my sister Cari and her husband Cody for letting us come spend time on their houseboat. Really big thanks to my dad for footing most of the cash for our food and gas!



Here is pics of Emily and Sami tubing. They loved it! I got these pics while I was standing on the houseboat watching. I try to avoid going on the boat when they are pulling the tubes, it makes me puke. Next time I will suck it up so I can get pics of Daniel too. Jake was prohibited from any shenanigans - with his knees and all.





Matt brought along his "tackle box" and a couple of poles and enjoyed some fishing off the back. I think just about everyone tried it. Jack LOVED running onto the back to see whatever fish anyone caught. He even touched one! One of the fish had the teeth of Jaws!! It's kinda creepy when you think about it!

RANDOM PICS!


Matt and Daniel on the back of the houseboat fishing.

Jack showing me his shells while supervising the fishing.

I was just hanging out with the boys, watching and reading.

Sami, texting. Does it ever end?

Daniel and the hair do I came up with to keep his hair out of his face. Looking really cool in Cody/Cari's boat. I can't wait until it's long enough we can just pull it back.

Matt chilin on the boat.

A small example of the foodstuff set out for one meal. We didn't starve, by any stretch of the imagination. It was delicious too!

Princess "always first in line" Sami. Daniel, I think he's annoyed there.

Model-esqe don't you think?

Fun pics with my family!!! Just before bed, hangin out!

Sami just after her bath. Weirdos! All of us.

Ohhh...he's a hottie!

Classic attitude!

Jake and Dylan on the back fishing!

Sami and cousin Emily.

Blog on....

Happy Mothers Day!!!

CLICK ON PICTURE FOR CLOSE UP

Mother’s Day
Oh how I love my mom! She is seriously the strongest and smartest woman I know. I was going through some pictures that I have of her with my kids and I realize the only reason I have such wonderful children is because my mother taught me so much about life and love. She grows the best garden, makes the best bread and can pinch a penny into a dollar. She has loved me unconditionally through some very hard times and loves my children immensely.
Thank you Mom, for being the very best mom.
I did a full medical history of my mother, for an assignment, when I was in nursing school. Through this and many examples she has taught me a lot about sacrifice and determination.
When my mom was 11 she fell 50 feet out of a tree. From what I understand she landed on her feet then her butt. She broke many bones in her feet, legs and back. They lived in Shelley Idaho and in order to take care of her, they drove her down in an ambulance to the old Bingham Hospital. They didn’t think she would live and definitely not walk – forget even giving birth. She stayed in the hospital for 6 months, her own mother and father visiting her when they could. Her mother was getting ready to have a baby. She was one of the first patient’s that they used traction on. Back then they stuck patients in a body cast and waited for them to heal. So she was rigged up to some block and tackle two by four contraptions and turned twice a day.
With a lot of determination my mother not only walked, but had eight babies. She has had a couple of hip replacements and at 75; she can’t walk too far and needs a cane or two. She also needs braces on her leg to stabilize her knee.
She swims almost every day in her swim spa. She monitors her diet and her weight to keep herself in good health. She never takes narcotics. She told me, “If it hurts, I stop”. I respect her determination and find that I feel pretty rotten if I complain to her about any physical ailments. She is a strong woman that knows what she believes and knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. For that she gets 8 crazy kids (6 are living) and 21 (or so) even crazier grandkids!! I hope that someday she will get to know her three great grand-daughters that she hasn’t met, but in the mean time she has one “out of control” sweet great grand-son to hold. I know that my kids love and respect her dearly and I hope that for the rest of her life I am able to help her to be the happiest she can be and the most independent.

I LOVE YOU MOM!! Thank you!!

Bob and Marcene

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a shareholder's meeting for Brighton Bank. I own a small fraction of stock. It was awesome. The content of the meeting was interesting, but seeing my Dad and how hard he has worked and how far he has come in life was fabulous! The meeting was held at the new CCI Mechanical Education Center in the Robert E. Taylor meeting room. How cool is that?? My dad started CCI before I was even born and with his partner made it into a great company. Now he is involved with Brighton Bank and continues to be very successful. How lucky am I to have a dad that has such a great work ethic and is also a honest, kind man.

Of course, behind every successful man is a great woman. That is very true with my Mom. She has defied all odds and walked when she was told she wouldn't, had kids when she was told she wouldn't (8 in fact) and continued to lead a long successful life. My mom stayed home and took excellent care of us and managed a household in such a way to contribute to my parents success.

So if you didn't know before - I thought I'd just mention that I think my parents are WONDERFUL!!

The company my dad started: CCI Mechanical.

Yeah, That's my dad!!


Little happy smiley face!!
He's smiling because Brighton Bank is a great SAFE bank to put your money in.

My dad conducting business. Making a point with his left hand - since the right is in a sling.

(See skiing blog)

More Business.

Yeah, I'm braggin...

Blog on..