My Dog is CUTE... and crazy.

A year and a half ago my roommate, Cassity, wanted to get a dog.  I've always been a dog lover so of course that sounded like fun... but a lot of work.  However, it's Cassity's Condo.  Cassity's furniture.  Cassity's carpet.  And so on.  What did I have to lose?  A year later I can tell you: cell phone, snow boots, mail, good blankets, socks, food, sleep, time, money, etc.  


So why would it ever be a good idea to get a dog?


We decided that whoever doesn't get married first gets to keep the dog.  Makes sense, right?  One gets a soul-mate husband... the other keeps the crazy dog.  At this point I'd say, whoever gets married first HAS to keep the dog because I'm not cut out to be a single-dog-mom.  However, neither of us are close to marrying anyone so for now we get to share this lovely little pup.


She's a Jack Russell Terrier, which breed is known for its hyper, energetic behavior.  Living in a condo on the 3rd floor with no fenced in yard makes it difficult to let Sadie run free as her little heart wishes.  So sometimes her pent-up energy results in a real term called "Turbo".  She goes wild and runs in circles as if she's on a racetrack, repeating the same course over and over again.  Sometimes she'll go sailing over a couch or bounce off a cushion onto another surface, but she just goes.  It's hilarious and pretty much impossible to try to catch her and pin her down.  Sometimes I sneak her into the fenced-in playground outside at night (we've been informed dogs aren't allowed in there) and I take her off her leash and let her run around for a while.  I love it.  


I could go on for days telling you all the adventures with Sadie Skippee-doo.  But for now I'll focus on her good qualities-- how CUTE she is!  I have this picture of Sadie on the wall at work:

The teens ask: Is that your dog? Aww... she's cute!"  And then I say, "Yeah, she's cute to look at."  Then you try living with the "cute dog" and sometimes she's not so cute!  But like I said, I'll focus on the cute stuff... like how she loves warmth and always wants to jump inside the dryer as soon as a cycle has finished.  This time I actually let her sit in there.

The following pics show an array of her varied sitting positions and her obsession with looking out the window.  :)

Sometimes I just look at her and laugh and say something like, "Oh Sadie, you're such a nerd."  I don't know how it's comfortable at all for her to stay in some of the positions she chooses, but it really doesn't phase her.

This is Sadie in her normal sitting position:

This is how Sadie tells us she needs to go to the bathroom.  Sooo glad she figured this one out on her own!  She just waits by the door on her little "waiting bench" until we notice.

Pretty sure Sadie's favorite thing ever is to lay in the sun.  As soon as we get home from church, it's usually perfect "sun time" and she goes right over to her favorite spot:

Seriously.  Look at that face.  A-dorable!  My dad told me once: "Never go 'window shopping' for a puppy.  You'll never come home empty-handed."  Well, he was right.  And our hands are full.  But for now... Sadie is super cute, fun, smart, quirky, and lovable.

Stay tuned for more updates... dun dun dun. :)

Motivation

A year ago, at this time, I made myself a bead bracelet at work with the teens.  I chose black, red, and clear because those were the colors of the new Asics running shoes I had my eye on.  They were my goal shoes and I was "earning" them as I lost weight and was able to run longer distances.  I wore my bracelet every day to remind myself of not only my goal to buy new shoes, but the Red Rock Relay and half-marathon looming in the future. 

The day I went to buy those red & silver shoes, they didn't have them in my size.  And most of the time, when I have my mind set, I want to get something right then and there and don't have the patience to look around elsewhere.  So I tried on orange, yellow, and silver Asics... even more perfect as far as looks go.  I LOVE ORANGE.  Red isn't my color anyway.  So I got the orange ones... still pricey but not as much as the red ones... and I loved them.

Until I actually ran in them.  My "dream shoes" were not as dreamy as I thought they'd be.  It was actually quite a let-down.  So I wore them for a few months but finally splurged again and bought new Saucony's (ProGrid Ride 3), which I think will be my forever running shoe choice.  I am an orange lover.  And these shoes are pink and silver.

                                        

What?!  I am NOT a pink person.  But the shoes are awesome and I've embraced the pink and actually love it.  So I run in them now and I'm 100% content with the way they fit and feel.

Last year I also made myself a mini "motivational picture" to hang on my wall at work.  It was a sillouete of a girl running against a sunset, and I typed "DETERMINATION" big in the corner.  Today I finally decided to change it.

I used that same picture of the pink shoe above, and fit the following words along the laces and top of the shoe: "Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day.  It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?' "  It's not my own quote but I found it on the internet and liked it.  I want to smash that question mark every day with the clear decision to be STRONG and not a wimp. 

And I still wear my bead bracelet every day, without fail...

I've Never Been THIS Sore...

Seriously.  I am in so much pain.  Every part of my body hurts, and just trying to get up from a sitting position is enough to make me wimper, wince, and groan in agony. 
3 days ago I did that "conditioning workout" with the teens at work.  I had no idea the effects on my 30 yr old body would be so severe.  I couldn't walk the next day.  And the day after that I was in even more pain.  I have to walk with straight legs and try not to use my quad muscles.  Then sometimes I'll accidentally take a step that bends at my knee more than anticipated-- the fire sets in my quad-- I buckle and lose my balance... and then try to continue walking normally.

Before the pain arrived, I'd made plans to go to Colorado and go snowboarding with a friend.  I was excited to teach her and help her learn new skills.  Last night I was still so sore and tried to rub my muscles, stretch, heavily dose myself with Ibuprofen... and nothing made a difference.  So I prayed, sincerely, for Heavenly Father to magically take away the pain-- even if just for 3 hours to go boarding with my friend-- and I could survive the rest of the pain afterward.  (Does anyone else make deals like that in their prayers?)   :)

I woke up and actually thought maybe I would have magically healed over night.  Wrong.  I was just as sore, if not WORSE... it being the 3rd day now.  Hobbling around to get ready, fearing the squatting motion of going to the bathroom, taking way too long to put on socks... I was ready for a day of snowboarding.  Yes, I'm an idiot.

But snowboarding was soooo fun!  I told my friend my painful leg disclaimer, and luckily she's still learning so we stayed on the green "easiest" slopes.  The entire day was pleasant and actually so much fun.  My legs were burning but it actually felt better to move around on a snowboard than try to walk 3 steps without it.  The hardest part was after sitting down to buckle in my boots and get situated before each ride down.  It was the mental and physical battle of leaning forward, gripping the edge of my board, and hoisting myself up into a standing position.  I grunted.  I wimpered.  Sometimes I'd be half-way up, legs burning, and I'd just collapse and fall back down.  It hurts just thinking about it.  But as soon as I'd get up... the ride down was fun and I wouldn't think about the pain until I reached the bottom of the hill.

So now it's 3 days after the death workout... and 6 hours after returning from snowboarding. 
I AM SO SORE.  I hurt in every way.  My abs hurt.  My arms and upper body ache.  My legs are ridiculous and I have to decide if anything is really worth going up and down the stairs.  I'm so tired I could probably fall asleep now and not wake up for 24 hours. 

I think the lesson learned here is don't try to do too much all at once.  Don't try to do squats, lunges, push-ups, frog jumps, burpees, planks, sit-ups, windmills, Yoga moves, and more than that all in a day if I've never down such a crazy combo before.  Maybe once the soreness wears off, I can ease back into the lunges and squats.  10 here.  10 there.  Throw in some push-ups and some reasonable sit-ups.  But for now, my body is on fire and I'm sitting.  For as long as I can until it's time to move again.

Fitness: Squats & Lunges

Perks of my job:  4 weeks of free skiing at Alta with my teens in March.  There will be groups from 4 other Boys & Girls Clubs and everyone will have free equipment, lessons, gear, and lunch every Saturday.  The organization providing such an amazing experience is http://www.shejumps.org/ and they seem pretty awesome.  


Today was their first day of "dry land training" to get them conditioned to the intense leg workout that skiing requires.  I run.  I snowboard.  I seem somewhat "fit" and wasn't even planning on doing the conditioning today.  But I decided to participate to keep the teens involved and active... and 1 hr later I was dripping sweat with shaky, sore, burning legs.  Who signed me up for this?!  No one.  I volunteered.  And that dang workout kicked my butt.  However, it was a wake-up call of how I should really do lunges and squats more often.  But the reason why I often avoid them is because I usually can't walk for days afterwards, even if I just do a few. Let's face it-- I'm kind of a wimp.


I had a church basketball game tonight and even just walking from my car to the doors of the church I was hobbling and wincing from the pain.  But somehow I managed to run up and down the court and actually play fairly well.  I wasn't a superstar and made dumb mistakes as usual, but it felt good to work up a good sweat, play aggressively, and be a part of a team.


This is my concern:  Tomorrow I will be even more sore... and then the full monty of pain will probably kick in on Saturday.  However, I have plans to go snowboarding in Colorado on Saturday, and killer sore thighs do NOT make a good combo with snowboarding!  So... this little conditioning activity today really just made my life a lot harder than it needs to be.   But nevertheless, it's good for me to face a challenge and give my muscles a little smack in the face.  Life must go on!

Fitness: Running Start

I ran a half-marathon in October 2010.  

Prior to that day, the most I'd ever run was 10 miles.

Miraculously I ran the 13.1 miles of the half without stopping, and felt like a champion.

Then I took a break. Maybe I ran here and there, but definitely not consistently like I did before. My plan was to buy a 6 month membership to the local fitness center.  Close and cheap.  I wanted to use the winter months to do more strength training and focus on other forms of exercise instead of obsessing over running 24/7.  But alas, 3 1/2 months have gone by, I'm still "saving" money to go to a fitness center, and still dragging my feet to get back on track.

Luckily I've already registered and paid for 3 upcoming relays in May, June, and September.  May is Red Rock Moab, only one day; June is Ragnar Wasatch Back (Logan to Park City) and Fri-Sat; September is Red Rock St. George, Fri-Sat.  Although these might be less intimidating than a half-marathon (each race we run 3 legs of varying distances and difficulty levels), I'll have a team of other people depending on me to carry my weight and run well... so that puts pressure on me!

I need to run.

The point of my future "Fitness" blog posts is to make me accountable for the progress I'm attempting to make, and to hopefully inspire anyone who might be in a similar situation.  I am not a fitness guru and don't claim to have any great advice or tips.  I'm just trying to reach my goals. :)

So here we go, starting now.  I ran two days this week.  5 min run/1 min walk intervals up to 20-25 minutes.  I could have and should have gone farther but both mornings I had a late start and had to finish quickly to try to get to work on time.  I was late both days to work. But it felt good to get out and run again.  I didn't use my iPod, mainly because I was short on time and didn't want to fiddle with earbuds and worry about the one falling out of my right ear the whole run.  Still need to figure out a solution to that one.  But there is a route just right here in the neighborhood streets that loops around to almost exactly 20 min.  It works for now.  Better than waking up late and wishing I had done something.

Tomorrow I am meeting up with Heather and her ward friends for a "basketball practice" to get all geared up for the game on Thursday.  Should be a good time!

I want to feel "fit" again.

My First Silent Auction

This is what I bid for (AND WON) at a silent auction on Saturday.  

$55

You might be thinking, "$55 for a small canvas painting?!"  That's what I was thinking too... until my heart got involved. :)  It was at the annual fundraising event for the Boys & Girls Club of South Valley.  I drove a group of teens to the Mariott hotel so they could be ushers and speak in the program.  I was there to supervise and make sure they were carrying out their duties... and I loved looking at all the silent auction items before the dinner!

I don't have money to spend freely, let alone money to support bids at an auction.  But I saw that painting and immediately fell in love.  It encompasses my passions in every way:  music, guitar, piano, ORANGE... perfection.  The starting bid was $25.  Hmmm.  Tempting.  The next time I saw it, someone had raised it to $30.  Grrrrr.  A while later another person had jumped the bid up to $50.  Sheesh!  What the heck?  What happened to the friendly $5 increments?

I paced back and forth and kept checking the most recent bid.  $50.  Are you kidding me?  I hate spending more than $10 on clothes.  Why would I even consider buying this?  

Then it clicked.  The money goes right to the Boys & Girls Club.  My heart belongs to the club and I love my kids like crazy.  And then it didn't matter anymore. I waited until the last minute and raised the bid to $55.  Boom.  Done deal.  The painting is mine.  

AND I LOVE IT.

Making Excuses

I discovered why I'm still not eating healthy or exercising regularly.

It was Thanksgiving.

Then Christmas.

Then New Years' and stuff.

Then the Super Bowl.  (Although our food was much better than this generic pic)

And I've already had a taste of this.

What's next?! 

All kinds of treats dyed green.

Easter candy.

4th of July BBQ.

Birthday cakes galore.

Halloween.

Then Thanksgiving again!

This cycle is kicking my trash.

First Date-Audition

Tonight is my first date with Mark.

He is the "blind date" (Facebook guilty) set up by my friend Shannon Christensen.

We talked on the phone a week ago and it was a fun conversation.  We've texted a few times.

He's a BYU alumni & BYU sports fan.  I like that.

I'm finding that it's much easier for me to mesh with BYU guys.  I don't feel 100% myself otherwise.

My sister Heather might disagree... she made it work out with a Ute alumni.

We choose our own battles. :)

Mark and I are going to play guitars.  He admitted that he knew I played the guitar because he saw that in my info on Facebook.  At least both of us are equally guilty of Facebook stalking.

So not only is it a first date-- it's an "audition" for how much I can impress him with my guitar skills.

I think it will depend on how much we "click", as to how much I'll try to impress him.

No mushy songs if I'm not feelin' it.

Wish me luck! :)

Singing for the Homeless

Seriously.  I love my job.  It reaches out to people in the community beyond the walls of the Boys & Girls Club.  I'm the director of the teen after-school program but often attend school events and community functions.  Most recently I have partnered with the Road Home overflow shelter to provide entertainment and music for the homeless residents there.  


I am close to one of my teens who used to live in the shelter, and we did a Christmas concert there together.  He is now in state custody awaiting a loving foster family in Midvale, and I am anxiously hoping they will find him someone soon.  In the mean time, I am his "mother", his "sister", his "mentor", his "counselor"... and of course I am his friend.


Tonight Heather and I had the opportunity to go to the shelter and participate in their Monday night activities. Other volunteers came to provide some fun things to do, and they saved the last 10 minutes of the evening for us so we could perform and sing with the guitar.  I saw some of my teens there at the shelter-- which is actually quite heart-breaking-- but you just roll with it, talk to them like you would anyone else, and keep a smile on your face.  I'm quick to joke around and make them feel comfortable and not embarrassed.


When it came time to sing, there were probably about 20 young people gathered around us, anxious to watch the guitar in action.  We sang "I Wanna Dance", which is one of my own, and then followed it with cheesy songs like "You Are My Sunshine" and "This Little Light of Mine."  They clapped and even swayed with their arms in the air-- super cute, by the way. :)  When it came time for Heather to show off her skills and sing "Amazing Grace", this little 5th grader (who had already proven to be the "cool kid" and probably a little show-off)... started singing along.  He came and stood right next to us and sang with Heather, even though he didn't really know all the words.  It was the cutest thing ever.  I wish we could have recorded that moment because I would watch it over and over again.  We sang it again and he was embarrassed and hid his face and wouldn't finish.  But after we sang a few more songs and ended with a fun peppy "Ingrid Michaelson" song... the cool kid asked if we could do "Amazing Grace" one more time.  And that was our closing song.


I love music.  I love how it softens hearts and breaks down walls... and no matter what your background, social status, reputation, or nationality is... music speaks the language of love.  My heart swelled with joy for having met that little boy.  He told me he was moving to Kansas tomorrow and suggested maybe we could be pen pals.  (If only I was allowed to do that!)  I told him to find me on the Boys & Girls Club website and he could send me an e-mail... and I highly doubt he ever will. :)  But I'm glad we crossed paths, if even for a short musical moment.  And I love that Heather was there with me-- bless her little heart.


Did I mention how much I love my job?  I love working with youth.  I love being an influence in their lives.  So many people have been that role in mine and I can only hope I'm changing lives, one day at a time.

I Love My Parents

The older I get, the cooler my mom and dad get.  It really is true that "parents know everything" and they get wiser with their "old age." I know to go to my dad for any issue with cars, or to get a man's opinion on dating, etc. And I know I can go to my mom for times of emotional distress, decision-making, and Relief Society expertise.  I couldn't manage life without them!

But more important than picking their brains for wisdom and advice,  I can enjoy a friendship with both of them that simply makes me happy. :)

My dad is what I like to call a gentle giant.  He is tall and a powerful leader, but often-times soft-spoken and contemplative.  He is very service-minded and sacrifices much of his time to help others.  He is probably my biggest fan when it comes to my music, and he has always been super supportive in my life.  He loves to ski; I love to snowboard.  So this works out for a perfect hang-out opportunity!  It originated in York, PA at the small "Ski Roundtop" resort, and just this weekend we were able to go up to Brighton while he was visiting in Utah.  I love the time together and it's great to have a common interest in such a fun activity.

I love this picture.

He looks young, healthy, and active!

It's a natural thing to be my dad's "buddy" and we get along great. :)

Things my dad loves:  Coca Cola, McDonald's, John Deere, Chocolate covered cherries, carrot cake, lots of butter on anything, old western movies, wearing coveralls and working in the garage,  being a Grandpa,  the Toone Dairy Farm, hearing me play the guitar, BJ's wholesale store, coats, hats, rappelling, hiking, etc.

***

My mom is a great example to me!  She was voted "most friendly" in 7th grade and always encouraged me to go out of my way to be friendly.  Although I probably didn't live up to the challenge in my teenage years, I strive to be friendly and charitable in my life right now.  My mom is a busy-bee and always involved in some kind of "project", assignment, task, etc. She works hard and is so good at what she does: church callings, school teacher, music teacher, grandma-- she excels in all of them.  My mom wrote to me nearly every week when I was on my mission and continues to love and support me.

We love food!  :)  Can't go to a movie without splurging for popcorn. Mmmm.

My mom is my musical mentor.  I love that we can play together and make fun memories!

Things my mom loves: Being a grandma, music, Mexican food (El Cerrano), Oil of Olay face lotion, Chocolate mint, pralines & caramel ice cream, Reality TV (Biggest Loser, American Idol, etc.), Skype, Christmas decorations, Big Lots bargain store, Logan's Roadhouse salmon, Chili's fajitas, reading glasses, baby grand piano, and Utah.

I love being surrounded by love on both sides-- my parents are wonderful. 

And that's the truth. 

Blind Dates

For the  most part, there's no such thing as a "blind date" anymore.  Most set-up conversations go like this:

Cupid:  "Hey, I have this guy I want you to meet."
Me:  "Awesome.  I'm all about set-ups.  Let's do it!"
Cupid:  "Okay.  His name is __________.  Look him up on Facebook.
Me:  "You got it."

Then I use my stalker skills to find this guy... make my observations and either get more excited or a little more nervous... and wait  for the initial "phone call" where he makes the move. 

Sometimes I wish I didn't go to Facebook before I actually meet the guy, and yet, it's so tempting not to!  Why not take a little gander at him playing with his family, or hiking huge mountains, or looking fresh and clean as a missionary.  But then you start browsing through his "info" and "interests" and realize you know way too much about him even before the first time you've ever spoken.  Rewind!

So I'm trying not to go Facebook crazy on guys anymore.

I have a blind date next week.  Blind date... aka... I saw his pic on Facebook and he looks fun and outdoorsy. :)  We played phone tag for the last 4 days, texted to try to set up times to talk, and FINALLY we talked tonight.  I was pleased with the fun, light-hearted conversation about our love for music, playing guitar, piano, BYU sports, and work.  We're getting together next week (I know I know, so far away but I don't have a free evening the rest of the week!)  I think it'll be a fun get together and hopefully turn out to be a positive experience. 

This set-up was brought to you by Shannon Christensen, one of my mission companions.  Thank you to anyone who has ever thought to send a decent guy my way... and maybe one day cupid will be right on target.

Hair Days (Good & Bad)

Hair changes everything.  And I've had some gross haircuts in my day.  I decided to create a timeline over the past few years that shows how my hair has evolved.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of my "curly hair" from the mission days... but let's just consider that a good thing to be forgotten. :)  

The pics start in 2007 with my first mission companion and my gross long hair.  The other day one of my past companions told me how much better my hair is now, than the days of the mission. Haha... uhh... thanks!

I've had chin-length hair the majority of my life.  And I like it.  But it gets old.

My hair is super thick and this style even feels "long" to me...

Got it cut before going back to my mission 6 months after I'd been home.

This is Asher.  She's the companion who wasn't a fan of my hair on the mission.  

She didn't like my hair like this either.  (haha)

Not my favorite, but getting shorter...

Shoot. Forget the hair... when did my face get chubby?!

Growing out a little, looking a little shaggy.

Finally got a haircut that I liked, but hard to capture it all in a pic.

However, my hair grew super fast and would transform into a big round ball.

Another attempt at "short"... but not very cute.  Ugh.

Yikes! Went a lot shorter this time.

Embraced more of the "swoop" look over the summer of 2010.

Hair naturally lighter from the sun, but kind of flat and weird looking.

Still testing out the "swoop" but deciding to just go with it.

Yes!  I embraced the Justin Bieber-ish style and had a lot of fun with it.

FINALLY!  The style I've been waiting for!  *sigh*

About a year ago I started going to Carly at a salon in Orem (Amara).  It was just a random lucky find and I went in as a walk-in customer one day... and have gone back to her every 6-8 weeks since!  She's amazing and I love how confident and spunky she is.  She kind of tries something new every time, but I think we've found the exact style I've been hoping for.  Short.  Sassy.  Bangs to swoop over.  Layers.  Tousled.  It's tons of fun and soooo easy to maintain.  After many years of boring and blah hair, I feel good about the 30 yr. old Bree hair.  


But what do YOU think??  You can be honest if you really did like the nasty curly long hair from 4 years ago...