APPRECIATION...

I gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience 

in which I must stop and look fear in the face… 

I say to myself, I’ve lived through this 

and can take the next thing that comes along… 

We must do the things that we think we cannot do.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Life was a little hectic last week, and feelings of stress and obligations completely consumed me.  Taking it out on those I love and hold dear, never helped either. In fact, it never helps.  So, instead of being annoyed with them for not giving me much of a fight, tonight I will feel love and relief that those who greet me matter significantly more than those obligations I was stressing over last week for no reason! Luffs ya Sweets! 

FAST FORWARD

The "weight" is over...!

We are doing the CINCH! plan for the month of February as our goal.

This entails a 5 day fast forward where you only get to eat 5 ingredients, 4 times a day. The remaining 23 days we continue eating 4 times a day yummy and healthy recipes from the book. This diet teaches about portion control, making healthy choices, adding seasonings and spices to your foods and which foods to combine with what to give you optimal results. There is no "take this pill" or "don't eat that" like so many other diets. This is unique because it allows you to eat what you want, but you just need to do it at the right time of day and in the right amounts. So many people gain back their weight after they finish their diet, but CINCH! is a life-style change so you won't gain back what you lost!  

Here is our grocery list for our 5 DAY : FAST FORWARD challenge! 

- 15 cups spinach

- 20 cups raspberries

- 30 tablespoons Almonds

- 1 jar Almond butter

- 10 whole organic eggs

- 60 ounces yogurt

(minced garlic, jalapenos, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, crushed red pepper, basil, EVOO, mint)

We are so excited to shed some of this winter weight and really get a jump kick on our sexy Spring bodies!

NEW HORIZONS

With the month of January about to close, I can officially say that I have accomplished my goals, or will for sure be accomplishing them by Monday! 

I have managed to overcome my addiction and have been DP/caffeine free for the month. 

I have read 2 books: Cutting for Stone and The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Both great books!

I am planning on going to the temple Saturday morning with Sweets.

WOW! This month has flown by and I feel great about the goals I set and how I went about completing them. I love this feeling of accomplishment! I sure hope to keep it up in February. All I can say, is that it will be a "CINCH"! *hint* 

JUST WORDS

STRESS : a wide range of phenomena, from mild irritation to drastic dysfunction.

It comes in three steps. 

Step 1 ALARM - We were asked to speak in church this Sunday! When we got the phone call from the the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric, both our stomachs dropped to the floor. All that was left was an empty pit. We scrambled our thoughts and tried to comprehend what had just happened to us. After a sleepless night we still we in complete shock.

Step 2 RESISTANCE - We tried to come up with as many excuses as possible, but came up empty handed. A vacation, an appointment, food poisoning and a family reunion all made the list, but unfortunately, we are no good at lying. For the last year, we have managed to dodge the bullet of speaking in church, and now, it has finally caught up to us.

Step 3 EXHAUSTION - We can't run forever and we can't keep finding reasons as to why we won't be able to speak. It is truly tiresome and takes away our positive healthy energy. We are bound to speak at some point and this Sunday just so happens to be that lucky day. Our guards have been let down and our white flag is raised!  

FEAR : the ability to recognize danger and flee from it or fight. 

It is known as the Fight or Flight response.

We were both able to see the danger in speaking in church. For Sweets, it is the idea of expounding in detail and B.S.'ing long enough to cover the 15 minutes we were each given. For me, it is knowing that within the first 2 minutes, my once full-of-life body would then be lying on the floor covered in sweat and vomit. As Sweets gave in to the fight, I was still holding out for flight. Realizing that I had no where to go and no where to hide, I submitted myself and followed his example.   

ANXIETY : created feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness and dread.

Knowing that I suffer from this, I also know that I am doing the right thing. Sweets always tells me "Sometimes in life you have to do things that you just don't want to do", and he is absolutely correct. Although these definitions are "just words", so is my talk. I wrote "words" down on paper, mixed and matched them, rearranged them and twisted them into something more powerful than these words. They read something that I am proud of, and that I believe in. So why wouldn't I, or couldn't I share them with my ward family? 

This year is a new year. It is time for me to tear down my own walls with my own bare hands. I actually can't wait to speak on sunday, for I know that I will rock the pulpit! And the best part of it is, I have my best friend, husband and the love of my life there to do it with me! 

S.G.R.

Sweets and I headed down to the warm SG this past weekend for some R-&-R, running, biking and friends!

 It was a must awaited vacation and the weather couldn't have been any more perfect, with highs of 60 degrees and sunny skies! 

Although I didn't get to train like I wanted due to my AS, I still attempted and joined forces with SDAY, BECKY and 3000 other peeps to run the St. George 1/2 marathon Race. While those awesome chickas completed the 13.1 mile run in perfect time, I ran beside them for 8.2 miles. The best part of my not-run run, was that I was still able to walk after and my legs weren't shooting with pain!  For me, that was an improvement.



Following the race, Sweets and KDAY hit up the Barrel Roll for some mountain biking action. The first one of the season is always hard on the tush, but they blazed through the red rock and had such a good time.  

We all hit up a scenic trial Sunday afternoon to loosen all of our legs up, and to wear the dogs down. Tahoe was so happy to have a fellow 'golden' named Kashi play with him the whole weekend. They ran wild on the trial, and were completely worn out for the drive home!

Thanks for the fun run girls, and thanks to the Days' for the awesome memories...

 

(collage: thanks to kday)

MONDAY GRIND

...back to the DDP trail...

i just love this lil' guy! he is quite the explorer and always seems to put a smile on my face. after taking me on a scenic and intense run, he laid down and waited patiently for me at the top of the hill. if the weather had been warmer (i mean LOTS warmer), i would have joined him on the ice. thanks T for kicking my butt this morning. a few more of these runs and maybe i'll beat ya!

BUILD THE PRESENT

...if you dread tomorrow, 

it's because you don't know how to build the present,

and when you don't know how to build the present,

you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, 

and it's a lost cause anyway

because tomorrow always ends up becoming today...

(the elegance of the hedgehog)

KICK THE BAD HABITS!

This year, my New Year's Resolution is to make Resolutions!

That is not to say that I haven't in the past,

because I make them every year, but they are usually

broken, 

unachieved, 

forgotten about, 

or unattainable. 

The difference this year is that I have learned a little something about myself. I am the type of person that needs gratification. Instant gratification, actually. So instead of making only yearly goals in which I lose sight of starting February 1st, I am making some monthly, quarterly and half yearly goals that I will be able to see
 the outcome of
my time,
and energy,
and feel more confident in myself at an early stage. 
(let's be honest, waiting a whole year for the completion of goals is far too long)
January is "NO SODA" month. Despite having a few cravings early on, I have been successful in letting my DP addiction go. I am sure it will return, but when it does, I hope that I will be able to enjoy it sparingly...
My goal for the Winter Quarter (January, February, March) is to bike 1/2 a century or 50 miles. Sweets is setting up the trainer tonight so I can get started. I am excited to give this a try. 
I am reading the Book of Mormon as my Half-Yearly goal. I pretty much know 1st Nephi by heart and would really like to feel the same about Ether and Moroni! 
My Yearly goals are pretty much monthly goals that last the whole year. Two of them are to attend the temple twice a month (once with my hubby, and once with our ward) and to read 1-2 books a month. 
I hope that you all are making some good, clean fun goals this year!

AFFINITY FOR ELF CULTURE

Last night was the Arnell family Christmas Party and we were the hosts! Every year there is a new Christmas theme to celebrate so we chose our favorite Christmas movie, Elf! It was so much fun decorating, baking, cooking, organizing, and planning this party. Weston did a fabulous job hanging snowflakes all over the house.

It wasn't quite like what Buddy did to the Hobbs' house, but it was a good start! We borrowed the kids tables and chairs from my parents house and used them to sit on during dinner. It was fun to squeeze ourselves onto tiny chairs all crammed together for the feast. We ate:

and

to start.

 We had Jovie's Yuletide Punch (cranberry apple sparkling cider) as well to wash down the hors d'ouevres. Then it was on to:

Kringle Caprese salad

and Impostor Santa lasagna (beef and cheese). 

Following dinner, we gathered all around and watched the beloved show laughing and singing along with the amazing soundtrack. For dessert we had:

 (which look a bit scary, but they were tasty. I'll have to fix this one for next time)

and Candy Cane Forest which was really peppermint ice cream with hot fudge! It was a great success and everyone had a fun time. They all got to take home: 

 

 which also included a snow globe of New York City. 

I am so sad that this party has already come and gone. It was SO much fun and I want to do this whole thing over. I tried to correlate ideas from the movie into the evening to make it more 'real'. Thanks Arnell's, you simply are the best IL family anyone could ask for! I am so lucky to be apart of such an amazing and fun family! Merry Christmas!

 

and I love you sweets! Thanks for all your help...

TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY

 Last weekend was a big treat! We were lucky enough to do several fun activities with many of our friends!

THURSDAY night we went to the Mo Tab Christmas Program with our good friends Dave and Lindsey. It was so much fun to hang out with them in the freezing cold, wandering through downtown trying to find a place to eat dinner,  and listening to the beautiful music of the Christmas holiday. As you all know, the one and only David Archuleta was the special guest and he did a good job. It was the opening night and I think he was just a bit nervous because his voice was slightly shaky and he was out of breath, but he did get better as the night went on. It was fun to watch him perform, although I didn't agree with him being chosen for this concert, and see some lights at Temple Square.

I didn't get a pic with the Allen's, but we love you and thanks again for thinking of us!

FRIDAY morning my 2 sisters and I started our "popcorn" fest. It was so much fun to cook up some yummy Carmel Popcorn and chit chat about girlie things. I have been missing just hanging out with them and goofing off as sisters.  Kimberly brought the recipe (a friends' secret family recipe so I can't share...sorry) and Susan was kind enough to let us destroy her kitchen making it all. I on the other hand, didn't do much but just showed up and snapped pics, stirred the popcorn and bagged it! Overall, we made about 50 bags!  

I can officially say that I am popcorned out, but BOY it was good!

FRIDAY night was the friends' Christmas Party for Weston's crew. We were in charge this year and had such a blast. With everyone being so busy for the holidays, we couldn't get everyone together, but we did get a good group to celebrate Christmas. We first hit up the Dodo restaurant in Sugarhouse and devoured the honey glazed salmon and Toll house pie, then it was off to Jon Schmidt at Kingsbury Hall.

 

Thank you Cal and Gina, Eric and Kerstin, Mark and Sian and Jarum and Brooke! We sure do appreciate all the friendship year round and look forward to making new and great memories next year with you all. We missed the rest of you, but hopefully next time, February, we will all be together again soon!