a confession with a happy ending

Dating is sort of a farce, right?  No one lets their true blue bare selves hang out while the prospect still has a chance to bolt.  Us girls keep the 'crazy' at bay and you guys keep the immaturity and body function humor under wraps till the deal is did.  (the marriage deal that is)  Dave and I are no exception.  However, I maybe be guilty of portraying myself as something I really am not.  And this is an "outdoorsy girl".  

We all did things we're not proud of when we were in our twenties.  I can talk about it now because I'm in my 30s and have been for a whole 4 months.   When I was single and in college I soon figured out that outdoorsy girls caught the attention of certain boys.  I thought these boys were generally dreamy and so I started to play the part of the outdoorsy girl.  Since I was from Wyoming and most people think Wyoming is still the "wild west" circa 1898, they seemed to buy the story.  I did enough to get by and really started to believe myself to be an "outdoorsy" person.  All the while my parents were scratching their heads, going "Hmmmm..." 

Well Dave was no different.  He was wooed by my outdoorsy ways.  It wasn't till after we were married for probably about a year that Dave's dream (one that he thought had come true) of having backpacking, rock climbing, dirt loving, latrine digging, hiking, biking wife began to fall apart.  I actually have pretty significant anxiety about spending the night outside.  And backpacking - forget it.  Confession. We tried it once.  We hiked a mile in and camped.  I was a nervous wreck.  The next day we hiked out. 


Three words:  psychos, bears, bugs.  No thanks.

Okay, I can survive a few nights car camping so I'm not a total wuss, but with kids I am a total wuss.  Add "little to no sleep" to the list above and I'm out.  So we haven't done much camping (much to Dave's disappointment) since we had kids.  However, this last weekend we were going to do it. We had it all planned out and I was actually a little excited.  But then Ruby got sick.  She got Herpangina (hand foot and mouth) from the lovely germ fest at church and was miserable all weekend.  And so camping trip was cancelled. 

 Bummer.

Lucky for my kids Dave is a really cool Dad.  He decided to set the tent up in the back yard Saturday night and go camping with Sol.  Following his lead I decided we'd have a camp fire in the ole fire pit and roast hot dogs and mallows.  Family camping in the back yard!  Woohoo!

The kids loved it!!!
 

(P.S. That's our old dead Christmas tree)

Ruby hasn't yet developed a fear of fire so that made things interesting but we made it through the camp fire dinner with no injury's!  Sol loved roasting hot dogs and mallows.  He likes everything cold so his food was ready about the time he stuck it in the fire.  Lucky!
 
Ruby was just happy, which was a nice change from the sicky grumpy pants she'd been the last few days.

After the fire we sat in the tent and told stories.  When ever I said the word "stories" ruby would take this stance that kind of looked like she was getting ready to do a Spanish dance.  One fist in the air, the other hand flat  out it front of her like she wanted a five.  We figured out she was getting ready to sing and do the motions for "Book of Mormon Stories."  Its a fave.  So we sang it a few times.
 
Sol happily snuggled down into his sleeping bag and went to sleep after stories.  Ruby not so happily went to bed in her bed.  And I happily slept in my bed.  Yes, this was my kind of camping.  Fire, hot dogs, mallows, stories, tent time, MY bed.


Sol has been asking to go camping every night since.  He must not take after me.  :)

(I love this picture... I love seeing my boys have soo much fun together and I love how Ruby's just watching like "silly boys.")

Happy Easter!

Hoppy Easter! We had an fun sugar filled Easter with family and friends. Saturday we went up to Dave's parents house for a cousin Easter egg hunt. Good times!

Pinterest worthy decor by my mother in law...

Ruby snagging an egg

I love this action shot of Sol. Intensity.

Kidos in their Sunday best.

Happy Easters!

(wow my kids are looking so big. side note.)

Spontaneous Trip to SoCal

Hello friends! There's nothing like a spontaneous trip to southern California to bust those winter duldrums and get a little sunshine on our noses. Dave had a trip to LA for work and we all decided to come along. We got a great deal on airline tickets to Long Beach. Wahoo!

We were only there for four days. Naturally we spent two of those days in Disneyland. Naturally. We can confirm that Disneyland is, in fact, still the happiest place on earth, as evidenced below...
















One of the days we were there it was rainy, but that didn't bother us much. Sol loved to ride anything that resembled a train. Ruby loved riding on or in animals, like the Carousel or Dumbo's Flight, etc. Our top 3 rides were Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, and Winnie the Pooh.

We hadn't planned on taking our kids while they were this young but opportunity knocked, and we answered! We did a couple things that made the Disney craziness easier on our little tikes, probably common sense things. But the thing that made the biggest difference was making sleep a priority. We went home part way through the day and all took naps and we tried to keep our normal sleep schedule as best as possible. It really helped!

Sol was at the perfect age. It was all magical to him and he could have closed down the park every night. Ruby struggled a bit, especially with waiting in line.

Sol is at such a fun age. He says funny things all the time. Here a few funny observations he made during our trip:

- As we're landing in California he starts to cry. "I thought we were going to California!"
"We are Sol, we're here"
"But where is the beach! Where is Disneyland! Where are the sheep and cows?!"
Sol thought we'd actually be landing in Disneyland. And he has learned about California
from the movies Cars and Curious George 2. Reality can be harsh.

- "I was really brave about that, huh mom. I was really brave." - After riding Pinochio. I forgot how freaky that ride is. Oops!

- "We have to stay at another home in the jungle." Our hotel had a courtyard with palm trees and Sol thought it looked like the jungle.

That's all I can remember for now. In addition to Disneyland we also went to the beach a two times and went to an Aquarium. Good times! I'll blog about those soon.

Grandma Whipple

Two and a half weeks ago we lost my Grandma Whipple. It happened fairly unexpectedly (although she was 84) which left us all shocked, and happened the day we were getting home from a quick family trip to Southern California. So the last few weeks have been a whirl-wind. And I've wanted to write about my dear Grandma since it happened, and I could have found the time, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. Her death has taken me a while to process. But I think I'm there...

My Grandma was so full of love for others and so full of courage. She truly loved her family and friends. And she was courageous. She Never said an unkind word about others. Like never. She was quiet, she wasn't one to draw attention to herself, but she was the first to love and accept those who were different and those who were outcast. I want to be like that.

She was a book keeper for several places as an adult. She was smart and wasn't afraid to learn new things, in fact she sought learning. At 84 she was a facebooker. :) I want to be like that.

She loved her family and loved to cook for them. That's something I could stand to work on. Not the loving part, just the cooking part. Her name was Norma Lou. I love that her name was Norma Lou.

She loved the Gospel and wanted her family to be eternal. She wasn't raised in a very religious home but she wanted that for her family. Through her diligence she has affected generations with a equal love for the Gospel. I want to be like that.

She was pretty and elegant. She loved nice things. She knew how to work and did all the days of her life. I want to be like that. She is a wonderful example for me. I didn't realize till I was sitting at the funeral that all my life she's been quietly teaching me by example how to be an elect woman of God. I'm so very lucky to have had that.

My Grandma loved Sol and Ruby. We spent a few days with them here and there over the past few years and both she and my Grandpa have shown so much love for my children. The last time I saw her was this fall. We went to their home to help them pick apples. Sol of course talked their ears off, but they didn't seem bothered or tired by it at all. Instead they just smiled and loved him for it. My Grandma tended to miss Ruby. My Grandma had become very small the last few years and quite weak and my miss Ruby is a solid little girl. But Grandma would wrap her arms around Ruby's waist and carry her to and fro to keep her out of trouble and happy. I will cherish that memory of our last visit. Golden fall sunshine, the smell of apples, and love love love.

I love you much my dear Grandma.

Stuck in Nebraska

If weight loss is a journey then I'm somewhere in Nebraska.

How much detail should I got into here? I have issue with the muffin top around my waist line; specifically 20 pounds I gained with my last pregnancy that have essentially not budged for the last 18 months. Of course I want these 20 pound gone. And I realize its just 20 pounds, not 50, not 100, not 200. But its the same darn 20 pounds I've been trying to drop. Well, diligently trying since September. I'm frustrated tonight because based on the way my clothes fit today I'm pretty sure I haven't lost weight since this fall. My clothes have basically fit the same since the fall. However...I'm in far better shape. And my clothes look better on me.... i think.... no one will give me a straight answer.

My "journey" started with my blood sugar getting really bad this summer after I stopped nursing. (I've had hypoglycemia since I was 12) In September I went to the doc, he said I have to exercise 5 days a week, and eat mostly lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. So I consider September the time when I really became diligent about feeling better so that I could be a good mom and wife and a happy person. Well the exercise and diet change DID help me feel a lot better. Blood sugar funk was mostly gone. However....wouldn't you think those kind of lifestyle changes would result in some weight loss?

I don't think so.

Road block #1: This is the biggest one. As soon as I lose any weight I semi-subconciously think I am now able to eat a little "worse" and thus I put it right back on. Then I stop eating a little worse and go back to eating good, mostly. And thus lose a little and I have been on this same damn cycle for a year. No joke. Any ideas how to stop this?! (note: food is a reward)

NOTE: I stopped weighing myself. I couldn't handle the drama caused by the above problem. And my bff swears by it. And she's hot. So I haven't weighed myself since the beginning of December. But I can tell pretty well how I'm doing by the way my clothes fit.

Good nugget #1: You have to keep at it. Just keep on keeping on. Exercise and good eating is going to be a part of my life till I die. Keep going.

Road block #3: Why are a large majority of accessible, common, or delicious foods no good? WHY? I love good food. Not crap. Good food. But a lot of it is no good. Real dinners? No good. Fish, rice, veggies-anyone that loses real weight only eats this. I like eating that but I get so tired of it. Anyone have a better way of looking at it?

Good nugget #2: Exercise with someone else. It helps soooo much to be accountable to someone. I go running with my sweet neighbor at 7am. Its cold and I know she'll be out there waiting for me and if I ditch her I'm a big jerk. I also go to the gym with my colorful friend who keeps me laughing though our whole work out. It goes fast and I get to laugh, a lot.

Road block #4: Sometimes the gym feels like a refuge but lately it has felt like a jungle. It is hot and humid in there. Its kind of stinky. And there are lots of biffs and cupcakes walking around. Boobs and biceps. Blah.

Good nugget #3: A run/walk outside on a warm winter day feels good. Trust me. Bundle up, turn on your iPod and free your mind. It feels awesome.

Road block #5: I already feel like I spend a majority of my day making and cleaning up meals for my kiddlets. I have to feed them, and I have to feed them what they'll eat. I have to make meals that are easy and that we're used to. And we're real gosh darnit! We don't pig out, we don't have lots a treats around, but we occasionally do. I like to cook with new recipes. I avoid cheese fest or fried mess but its not all fish and veggies. So I think this little bit of normal is whats keeping me from budging on my bulge. Is there a way to be "real" and lose the spare tire?

Good nugget #5: V8 is an acquired taste and once its acquired its good and filling and good for you!

What the?!?!: I kind of like my fat. Okay not really but...there is something very comforting about it. I hate the way it makes my clothes fit, the way it feel squished and large sometimes, but for some really weird reason, I kind of like it. I know, what the?!

Hopefully my good nuggets can help some of you on the same blasted journey. But I need help with my road blocks. Especially #1. Anyone have advice? Please! I'm all ears! I want to lose this 20 lbs with a life style change, not a crash diet. But maybe a crash diet would help build my confidence... see I'm out of ideas. I can't just not eat. I have hypoglycemia so I have to snack and eat smaller meals. I need help.

Grandpa's Tie

I took these pics a few Sunday's ago. Sol is wearing my Grandpa Hurst's tie that my Grandma gave Sol after Grandpa passed away this summer. This is my Grandpa. I miss him a lot but I'm so glad we have a little piece of him and one that sol can relate to.

And we have this cute little munchkin to keep us on our toes.

Vertigo=mandatory time off

As Dave and I were finishing up painting our dining room Amherst Gray on Saturday I started to feel a little dizzy. I ignored the issue and pushed on. I still had lots I wanted to do and not a lot of time in the rest of the day. Dizzyness got worse until I had to sit, then lay down. Sunday morning I woke up so dizzy I couldn't walk. In fact a trip downstairs caused me to dri-heave a bit. I was flat on my back the rest of the day and most today. I'm doing a lot better. But I'm really not able to take care of my kids. Doctors orders are to lay down and get as much rest as possible. I thought it would be difficult but its actually been kind of nice. Forced down time. I can't tell you how many times in the last year alone I've wanted to just sneak off to my room and shut the door. I got to do that yesterday AND today! A little more rest tomorrow and then I should be better. I'll enjoy it while I can. Better sign off...the screen is starting to swirl...