One More Down...

I just lost one pound this week. I don't think I pushed myself as hard in my workouts. Shoot!

I started the antibiotics last night and am feeling really crappy now. It causes nausea and diarrhea which is much worse than the symptoms I had from the lump. I don't think I'll even be able to work out today--maybe not for a few days. But maybe I'll lose weight from being sick...

Anyway, update on ranks later.

UPDATE: For the week, I came in a lowly #13. Overall, I am holding strong at #6.

To the Top and Back!

(This is just a random internet pic of Mt. Whitney. I can't wait to see the pictures Andrew's taken!)

Andrew doesn't get home until Saturday night, but he was able to call last night using someone's cell phone. It was so good to hear from him. He made it to the top of Mount Whitney!! Mt. Whitney is the highest summit in the lower 48 states! (Interestingly, it's only 76 miles west of the lowest point in the lower 48...weird, huh?) It's about 22 miles roundtrip; he wasn't sure if he was going to hike the whole thing or not (he was thinking of just going 6 miles to the base camp), but he did. I'm so proud of him! That must bring a huge feeling of accomplishment. I haven't even hiked Mt. Timp. Maybe next summer!

Andrew said that he even woke up at 4:30 AM to take pictures!! (But it was actually 3:30 AM Pacific Standard Time...oops! Heh, heh. He had to wait for a couple of hours for the sun.) For anyone who knows Andrew, you will know how big of an accomplishment that is, too. He is NOT a morning person. Anyway, good job--all around!

Cancer?? Get Outta Here!!

Like George (from Seinfeld), that is what I had hoped to hear from the doctor today. Instead I heard, "Hmm....what is that?" A few months ago I noticed a "growth" (I hate that word) on my ear. Immediately, I thought CANCER. But I didn't have insurance and waited until now to have it checked. I also had another reason to go--a hard lump on the side of my neck (it only hurts when I turn my neck). Might as well wait for as many ailments as I can before going to the doctor. The doc thinks the lump is related to all the bug bites I got at Antelope Island (thanks again to the vampire gnats--I've been itching like crazy all week!). He prescribed some antibiotics for that and said to keep my eye on it. As for the growth, the doc said they could shave off some and send it in to be examined, but didn't seem to think that was necessary (I guess...since he didn't do it). He said it was an odd place for a mole to grow, but he didn't think it was anything to worry about right now. Again, I was assigned to keep my eye on it.

For those of you who didn't know me in my teenage years, I was ADDICTED to tanning (in the sun or the tanning booth--wherever I could get it!). I was DARK. My brothers actually had an intervention one summer when we were on vacation. They told me it was kind of disgusting (they said it in a nice way). That shocked me a little, and I think I toned it down a bit after that. It wasn't until I dated a red head in college and heard the horror stories of his father's skin cancer, that I finally decided to stop. I've been nice and pasty ever since (except on my mission when I had no choice but be in the sun for hours and hours at a time). Part of me still yearns to tan, but I kind of think skin cancer might be inevitable for me, and it really freaks me out!! So, I'm good for now...but I have a good many suckers to keep my eyes on!!

This is a pic from our trip to Norway, when my brothers tried to help me. You can't really tell how I dark I am, but this is the best I could do without scanning pictures (I'm not in the mood).

Little Fishy

Well, I broke down and took Kate swimming today. I'm not a fan of showing skin, but I knew Kate would love it (it was her first time). This pool has a really great kiddie pool--way better than anything I had growing up! The water was really nice and warm. My friend, Stephanie, and her cute baby, Eliza, met us there. Kate kept wanting to go as deep as she could, so I finally took her to the grown up pool to swim around with her. She didn't want me holding on to her, though, (which is kind of a requirement) so we didn't stay there for too long. There were a couple times where she slipped and she got a little water in her mouth. And as I write this she is asleep on me...now I'm totally freaked out by the dry drowning thing! I think she's just tuckered out--I hope. I'm keeping my eye on her.

I was reminded of junior high when one of my friends always invited me to go swimming. She had a twin that I didn't particularly like hanging out with, and so I would always come up with excuses not to go. I still remember what she wrote in my yearbook: "If you're not too busy tanning or mowing the lawn this summer maybe we can go swimming." Ha--my excuse to not go swimming was because I was tanning! How lame!

Just the Two of Us

Andrew has just left on his week-long hiking adventure to California, so it's just me and the munchkin. He went with some guys he met at school; he couldn't pass up the opportunity to split gas three ways to one of the best photography locations in the country. I hope everything goes well for him! Meanwhile, Kate and I will be holding down the fort, trying not to get bored to death.

Antelope Island: Attack of the KILLER GNATS!!

What a pretty island! Just imagine what it could be with no gnats!

Sooo pretty!!
The victims! (Notice both kids swatting the gnats.)
Even in her sleep she can't escape the bites! (They were swarming around her head; there is one on her cheek in this picture.)
Get them off! GET THEM OFF!!
My lovely "gnatty" hair. :) It is getting long! Any ideas on what style to give it are welcome. I want to keep it long.
Poor Kate! She looks like she has the chicken pox! She had bites ALL OVER her head! She was pretty miserable on the way back until we stopped at Chick-Fil-A to visit Uncle Austin. He bought her two little cow stuffed animals that totally brightened her day!

Ahh, I am grateful to be writing this from home after a nice shower. Our family camped out with my old roomie, Shannon, and her family (Zack and Oliver) at Antelope Island in Salt Lake. Antelope Island is so gorgeous! But the blood-sucking gnats were awful!! The kids were wimpering and constantly swatting/scratching their heads. Poor things! We had planned on going on a short walk to explore, but we quickly all decided that a game in a tent sounded much nicer. We had forgotten to bring a game, though, so we drove to Walmart (not too far from there, surprisingly) to pick up Catch Phrase. After getting a taste of the gnat-free, air conditioned environment for a little while, we were then all in the mood for a little ice cream down the street. Doesn't this sound like a great camp out? :) We did eventually mosey back to the island after deciding against seeing a movie. Ha!

Luckily, we were able to see the sunset, and the gnats flew back to whatever hole they came from long enough for us to play a few rounds of our game outside.

Sadly, Andrew and I forgot our tent cover and the full moon was like a spotlight on us all night. As I got Kate ready for bed, I realized that the milk I had gotten at the store (THAT same day) was almost 10 days expired. Blast! I sent her to bed with a bottle of blue Gatorade that (big surprise) did nothing to settle her down. She was wired and wouldn't go to bed until 12:30am.

The best part, though, came when we woke up bright and early in the morning to swarms of gnats chewing on our flesh!! What the --?? We realized the netting on the tent was stretched slightly in one area--where the gnats ushered in a few hundred of their pals for breakfast (us). Kate was swatting them off in her sleep; we didn't want to wake her, so we covered her as best we could, grabbed some food, and ran for the car. When we went back to check on Kate, she was standing alone in the middle of the tent with a very bewildered look.

Needless to say, we packed up pretty early and went for a drive around the island. My foolish plan to go wading in the Salt Lake did NOT come to fruition. We didn't even get near it. It's a shame the state can't figure out a way to do a mass extermination of those things. We noticed later an electronic sign "welcoming" campers that read, "Bugs! BUGS! BUGS are BAD on the island!" Noted.

It was great to be able to see Shannon/Zack/Oliver, though, on their vacation from MA. It was definitely a memorable time!

My Two Shoulders

It seems I have a devil on one and an angel on the other (both me). The devil's really fat and the angel is my ideal weight. For every pound I lose, the angel is there cheering me on--saying, "Wow--see?! That wasn't so hard! 50 pounds is nothing! You can do this!" The devil says, "So what if you lost three pounds this week? You still have THIRTY pounds to go! You're not even half way there! All this hard work for what? Three pounds? Give up! And go get me a Snickers."

I really do seem to have these two halves of myself lately. I think, "Wow! I've lost 20 pounds already! I'm actually fitting into some of my older clothes." Then the devil self: "Yeah, but the clothes still pinch a bit."

It's a constant battle, but I'm going to love it when I get to my goal weight, and can tell that fat devil me to shove it.

I'm leaving to Antelope Island for the night at 2pm, so I hope I get the results back by then. I would hate to leave Larson (my most devoted reader on Fridays) unsatisfied on Results Day!! :) Thanks for the support!

UPDATE: Woohoo! I came in at #2 for the week and moved up to #6 for overall! So far I've lost 7.5% of my starting weight (I've lost 13.5 lbs since starting the Biggest Loser Contest). The sad part is that the leaders (#1 and #2) of the contest have lost in the 10th and 11th percentile already! Either they will have to really screw up or I'd have to really start shedding some major pounds in order to catch up. If I could finish in the top 3 I would be thrilled! The top three split the pot.

New Coldplay CD!

Was anybody else as excited as we were when the new Coldplay CD (Viva La Vida) came out on Tuesday? I love it! Andrew likes their previous stuff more than this album, but I haven't decided yet. One thing's for sure--this album reminds us both a lot of U2. I've read before that Chris Martin (lead singer) listens to a lot of U2 and gets inspiration from them. You can definitely hear the influence on this CD. I don't think that's a bad thing, though.

They're coming to SLC in November--but tickets are EXPENSIVE. We'll have to pass.

Above is their video for "Violet Hill" from the new CD. Enjoy!

One of my all-time favorite songs!

If you've never heard this song before, the tempo picks up at 2:30, so hang in there!

I guess I was due for an accident...

No, the above pic is not a picture of my accident. But I got your attention, right? :) Sorry.

It's been years since I've gotten into an accident where it was my fault. I don't know what happened. I looked both ways, started to turn right, and BAM! Somehow I turned right into a huge SUV! How did I miss that?! I still just don't get it. The lady was pretty nice, but overly freaked out (I thought). But she did have to swerve to miss from really hitting me...and that would be freaky (so glad she swerved!). My bumper got a little banged up and her hub cap was scratched pretty nicely; other than that, I didn't see anything. She thinks she heard a strange noise, but I'm not sure why that would be. She kept saying it was a brand new car and she couldn't believe it--so glad her kids weren't with her, etc. Kate was happily reading a book the whole time. Anyway, she wouldn't just take my insurance info--she had to call the police, and we had to wait there in the blazing heat until he arrived to tell us to just exchange information. 'Sigh.' My insurance will probably go up, but there was no major damage and no one was hurt--thank goodness. I don't know where my head was! Accidents (when it's my fault) just really make me feel pretty stupid.

Actually, for the record, this is only the second accident that was MY fault (unless I'm missing one, Dad...we're only counting hitting another person--not inanimate objects or animals...). The last one was in Omaha (probably when I was 19 or so) when I was pulling out of my driveway a bit recklessly and ran right into someone. Two in twelve years of driving isn't so bad, right?

I'm guessing Andrew won't be thrilled that I put a close-up of his face on here, but I love this picture! What a cutie!

These are some older camping pics that people wouldn't have seen before. 2004 in Yosemite and 2005 in Zion National Park. We got caught in a little rainstorm. It was gorgeous!

Tib 's theme for "My Favorite Monday" today is our favorite thing about summer. This summer I am going to choose camping. It hasn't been that in the past, but I'm really excited about being a "camping family." Camping/exploring is really Andrew's favorite thing to do, and I am really starting to love it, too. Especially after seeing how much Kate loved it at Kodachrome Basin State Park in April. I think it's a great thing we will always be able to look forward to in the spring/summer. Of course, Andrew goes in the dead of winter, too--but I think we'll wait for summer to go along.

This weekend we are going to Antelope Island in Salt Lake for one night, then Andrew leaves for California next week (with some guys from school) to hike Mt. Whitney. Andrew hasn't decided yet if he will hike it or spend his time taking pictures of it instead. Either way--fun! Then we are planning another camp out with my sister's fam at Payson Lakes, and then to CO to visit Ellen (Andrew's mom) for more camping! This is really the Summer O' Camping--woohoo!

Kate's Finally Legal!

Kate's been coming to nursery with us for months now, but this past week she actually turned 18 months old--so now she's supposed to be in there. How exciting! There's only one other girl right now in our nursery. She loves to hug Kate; Kate's kind of scared of her. We are only going to be in this nursery for three more weeks before we move to Wymount. I'm sure the nurseries there are going to be HUGE--I hope Kate doesn't get trampled. I also hope I don't get called to be in one of them!

Happy Father's Day!!

To my wonderful husband who has been a great father since the beginning. It seems to come so naturally to you! Thanks for all your hard work and love! You are the greatest!

And to my own dad--thank you thank you thank you! You have taught me so much; you are always there for us (in any capacity), and that is such a comfort! I'm sorry about this picture--we are having issues with our older pictures. They are really hard to get to and find right now, so this is the best I could do! (In case you and Mom are wondering, this picture and the pic of Andy below was taken from our wedding slideshow.)

And Happy Father's Day to Andy, too! You have two great boys!

Not *quite* as bad as it looks...

For those of you who check my weight status on a regular basis, you will not see the little runner progress on her beach run today. I lost exactly ZERO pounds this week. That's right--ZERO.

However, strangely enough, I was actually kind of happy with this result. I decided to change up my workout this week--different cardio exercise and some weights added in. It is a really hardcore workout! I was really sore for days. But I started gaining weight! I gained about 2 pounds (maybe muscle?)! For most of the week, I was expecting today's weigh in to be a real disaster. So making it back down to what I was last week actually feels pretty good.

But, of course, I'm still severely disappointed. I tried REALLY hard this week. My ranking numbers are sure to really take a plunge. But I'm sticking with it and hopefully my body will get used to a new routine and start losing again.

UPDATE: Not as bad as I thought! I am at #28 for the week, and #8 overall. I can't believe I didn't go down more for my overall ranking. Yay!

Bad to the Bone...B-B-B-B-BAD

Last night, I went to the grocery store for a few essentials for the next morning: diapers, milk, and bananas. As I slung the diapers under one arm and a heavy basket pinched my other, I became aware of the music playing--"Bad to the Bone." Immediately, I was transported back through time to highschool.

For those of you who didn't know me in highschool, I was shy and self-conscious (oh, and I really hated highschool). But, man, put a pop can in my hand and EVERYTHING changed. For some reason, I felt invincible and suddenly very cool. Whether it was at the pool or walking down the halls of school, if I had a pop can in my hand suddenly there were beats in my head, and I was struttin', pointin' and winkin' to the gang members lining the walls on the left, and noddin' to the jocks on the right. The wonders of Sprite.

None of that is true, of course, (it was all in my head) except that I did feel a bit cooler and perhaps a slight strut could be detected upon close inspection.

But man, I felt it again last night--this time holding diapers and milk, but I couldn't be stopped. I was struttin' down those aisles like I did years ago...

A quarter doesn't buy what it used to...

I found this toy among Grandpa and Grandma's other toys this morning. In case you can't read it--it says "$0.25 cents a gallon" and "$1.25 for 5 gallons." Boy, can you imagine gas at that price? That would be so amazing!! The lowest I can remember gas being is $0.89 cents/gallon. Shows how old I am, huh? I paid $40 yesterday to fill up our car and am definitely feeling the pinch! I can't even imagine what it would be like to have an SUV or truck right now. A quarter definitely doesn't stretch as far these days. We got pretty excited when we saw a pop machine outside Days Market where you can still get Shasta pop for $0.25 cents! Andrew has to get one now every time we're over there, and he really doesn't even like pop.

So what about you guys? I'm curious--what's the lowest you can remember a gallon of gas costing?

P.S. I read an article recently that said oil would likely rise to $150/barrel by July 4th. Seems like just last month when everyone was freaking out about it reaching $100/barrel. It's really going up fast.

Payson Lakes

Andrew took this shot (above). I really like this picture.

We had planned on camping overnight at Payson Lakes this past Friday with my sister's family, but we all decided to reschedule for later in the summer when it was a bit warmer there. Andrew and I were still in the mood to check the place out, though, since we've never been there. We went up last night and just walked around a little. What a gorgeous place! I can't wait to camp there and go canoeing--how fun! Andrew's going to go back this week to get some large format shots--he's really excited about the potential of the place. It was a nice break for us even if it was just for a couple of hours.

Kate "reading" a book

Kate loves her Berenstain Bears Learn to Share book. I loved the Berenstain Bears books, too, when I was growing up. I loved to collect them through Scholastic. Kate has us read this one to her all the time, and has recently started "reading" it to herself. She usually goes through each page and points to different things for us to say what it is. I was glad to get some video of it--but she is kind of speed reading in this one. She also shows off some of her vocab-- "all done" and "again." She hasn't been saying much else yet--besides banana. She really hasn't shown much interest in trying to talk. Hopefully soon!

Dry Drowning...Who knew?

So sad! I just read this article http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110157.php about a boy who died hours after going swimming. He had gotten water in his lungs and died later while napping. The signs seem like they'd be hard to notice, but it's definitely worth being aware of!

Hitting a Wall

Grrr...

Well, I did everything right this week: I worked out every day (sometimes twice a day), and I didn't have any sweets. And what did I get for all my trouble? 'Sigh.' A lousy 1.5 pounds! I lost more weight than that eating brownies and skipping workouts!

I think I know what the problem is, though. And it has a little something to do with the fact that I'm awake enough to be blogging right now at 7:30 in the morning! I haven't been getting enough sleep for the past 3-4 days. Kate used to sleep until at least 7:30 or 8 am. But for the past few days she has woken up as if she has an alarm set for 6:30! I typically don't fall asleep until midnight (regardless if I'm in bed before then or not), and 6.5 hours just does not do it for me. I've felt like a zombie for most of the week. I'm so tired that I have to take a nap when Kate does just to survive. I hate taking naps--especially now that I use that time to work out. So then I have to work out at night and am all wired and can't go to sleep early enough! Ugh--a vicious cycle. Anyway, everyone says that adequate sleep is essential to weight loss. So here's to hoping I get more of it next week!

UPDATE: Well, the results are in. Okay, so I guess last week I ended up ranked #5 for the week and #7 overall. This week I dropped to #12 for the week, but am holding steady at #7 overall. Not bad!

Whose little boy is that?

(This is not what she was wearing--she was wearing brighter pink and tights).

Yesterday in nursery, Kate was sitting quietly reading a book when the new counselor over nursery came in to visit. We now only have two kids in our nursery including Kate. Anyway, the new counselor looked at Kate and asked, "Whose little boy is that?" I couldn't believe it! I can understand when we're at the grocery store and she's wearing all blue--fine. But she was decked out in a pink shirt and skirt, and tights for heaven's sakes! I'm pretty sure I've had far more people tell me what a cute boy I have than what a cute girl she is. Is it just because I don't put ribbons in her hair? Surely people can absorb clues other than hair ties, right?

UPDATE: Just got back from the park with Kate. Once again she was dressed head to toe in pink. A man with a little girl told the girl to watch out for "the little guy" and to just "go around him." It's hopeless.