I'm baaaaack!

Hope you all haven't stopped reading my blog. I just got overly busy with Christmas. It was an insane month, but I prefer not to dwell on that. Let's just say that things are going to be better now.

Put lots of new pics on our web site, if you're interested. The family was here for Christmas (my parents, my brother, and his wife) and we had a blast when we weren't in bed with fevers or worshipping the porcelain god. Yup, we were all pretty darn sick. But we did have a good time anyway. Managed to hit the Red Iguana and Bangkok Classic Thai while everyone was here, which was great. I also made a fabulous turkey dinner complete with German sweet chocolate pie and all-American peppermint stick torte for dessert.

Making dessert is my favorite type of cooking, I think. I got a GREAT new cookbook called The Best Light Recipe for Christmas, and I'm going to make the NY Cheesecake for the Epiphany party at New Song. The cookbook is fabulous - I tried the lasagna recipe tonight, and it tastes AMAZING and was only 7 points per good-sized serving.

This is pretty rambling, but it's all I have time for. Got to go - motherhood calls!

LIFETIME!

Here's Janece (my WW leader) leading a cheer for me when I received my LIFETIME WW membership on Saturday the 25th!!!

I'm 5 months old (November 23rd) and SO CUTE!

Stuff

Been awhile since I posted... so here's some stuff.

Thanksgiving was great. I ran in the Cold Turkey race, placing 7th out of 42 in my age group! It was a 6K race, and I completed it in 33:32 official time, which is about a 9 minute mile. Not bad! I did tweak my knee just a bit - have a slightly strained MCL on my left leg. I am still able to walk just fine, thankfully, so I'm going to lay off the running for a month or so until it heals up completely. Honestly, I prefer racewalking anyway, so it's not a big deal.

After the race I made dinner (except the turkey, which Loren smoked as he does every year), and the 4 of us enjoyed a wonderful meal together. The kids were pretty well behaved, and Calvin really liked the stuffing and the cranberry relish. Of course, Michelle did not get to try any turkey this year.

Since then, we've had a relaxing weekend. I painted the wood post on our porch, touched up the rust spots on the car, and helped Loren put up the exterior Christmas lights. Calvin enjoyed running around outside while we put up the lights. We put icicle lights on the fence and on the front eaves, and a net light and rope lights on some other fencing. The juniper trees got regular small white lights. All that remains is to re-do the lights on my "Jesus is Lord" sign that I usually put in the window. The squirrel that lives in our garage decided that the lights tasted yummy, and that it was a good place to store his nut stash, so I'm going to have to put new lights in the sign. Grrrrrr!

Today I made turkey soup (yum!) and we put up the Christmas tree and put the ornaments on it. All I have left to do decorating-wise is to put up the remaining indoor decor, which shouldn't take too long. Then I just have to finish my shopping, mail gifts, and write and mail the Christmas letters. Seems like a daunting task right now. I suppose one small step at a time will get it done, though.

Awesome gadget

Whether you are a walker or a runner, the Nike + iPod sport kit is a must have. I was asking for a $350 GPS gizmo for Christmas so that I could monitor my walking/running pace in real time, not realizing that I could do the SAME THING with the $29 Nike + iPod sport kit. Well, you DO have to have an iPod nano to use it with first... but I just happen to have a nano, so that was not a problem. Anyway, I just tested the thing, and it is truly amazing. It will tell you at any point in time how long you have been working out, how fast you are going, and how many calories you've burned. It saves your workouts and synchs them to the computer, and you can set goals for yourself, etc. on the Nike website. Haven't tried that yet, but I will. Tomorrow I am going to run intervals on the East High track (was planning to do this anyhow, for a race I'm training for), and so I'll calibrate the thing for extra accuracy (though it already seems pretty darn accurate w/o calibration, based on running and walking up & down the street).

One warning - the box says you have to have special Nike shoes to put the sensor in. Not so. There are plenty of websites where people have come up with ingenious ways of using the sensor w/o the shoes. I just bought a brand new pair of Addidas running shoes at the Salt Lake Running Company, and there was no way I was going to plunk down another $100 for special Nike shoes. So I tried this method with the sensor and it works great.

Goal party

This is me after the goal party last night. The best thing about the night was looking good in the little black dress.

Before I say anything else, I want to thank Sarah & Bryan for hosting, and I want to thank the people who attended: my husband and children, the Wheatley family, Nancy, Pat, Shannon, Lisa, and Jay and Susan (who got lost and didn't make it but tried!). I hope I didn't just forget someone... if I did, my deepest apologies - I'm a little tired! I very much enjoyed the support of these dear friends and we had a great time talking, eating, looking at the before and after photo display, and playing games. The Wheatleys brought a really great card with a little black dress on it (and they didn't know I was going to wear that!!!). Shannon & Lisa brought me a fabulous bag of stuff for a relaxing bath/spa day, and a great card with ummmm, let's just say, an outfit I never could have worn before (but I can now!). It meant a LOT to me that all of these special people came and celebrated this milestone in my life.

However, the party was a big disappointment. The attendance was really low. This is one of the most important things I have ever done in my life, and when I celebrated it and invited everyone I know in Utah, less than 15 people came. The weather wasn't great, which I'm sure didn't help. The short notice of the event due to my vacation insanity was probably the biggest reason people didn't come. I only told people about the party 9 days beforehand, though I did send an e-mail AND hand out flyers to people. I have learned my lesson there, I suppose.

The bottom line is that very few people came, and I feel hurt. Maybe I shouldn't feel hurt, but I do. I know people are busy, and perhaps that is just the reality of 21st century life. Perhaps I have set my expectations too high. In any case, I feel that I have to ask myself some hard questions now. Am I the kind of person that people want to be around? Are there things about me that are abrasive? Am I a little bit too weird? Does any of that really matter? I mean, whose opinion of me really counts? Do I care too much about what others think?

These are hard questions. I need to make time to think about them. I often fall into the trap of expecting too much from people and being disappointed, and I think that is what happened here. Ultimately, I need to take comfort in the love of the friends who DID come and in the fact that my husband loves me and God loves me even if I am the kind of person that others find difficult to love. Right now, though, even if I should let it roll off of my back and forget about it, I can't. It just hurts.

The lion will lie down with the lamb...

Perfect weather for the reception

Alex and Erica's wedding

Vacation stuff part 2

The wedding was marvelous. Alex looked SO happy, and I am so thrilled that he has met such a wonderful woman, Erica. I couldn't ask for more for my brother.

Photos of the wedding
Photos of the rehearsal

I got to play the piano for the wedding, and it went so well. The wedding coordinator was dynamite, and I always knew exactly what was going on. That NEVER happens in a wedding, so I was very pleased.

We enjoyed a great visit with Marge & Drake and their kids in Half Moon Bay (phtoos here), and then we drove to Davis for a brief visit with my former piano teacher, MarLyn, and my old boss John Payne(photos here).

Halloween was a lot of fun (photos here)- we visited Dyan and her kids, Paul & Suzanne and their kids (they really do the day up right!) and finally ended up at Grandma Mary's house in Lakeport, where we enjoyed trick or treating.

We visited Tania & Enoch and their kids in Palo Alto before flying home.

The flight home was a disaster. I arrived at the San Jose airport, 2 kids in tow, at 11:30 am for my 1:30 pm flight, only to be told that the flight no longer existed. Hello?!?!?!? Why did nobody from Delta call me and tell me?!?!?!? They said the best they could do was get me out on a 6 pm flight. I told them they were nuts if they thought I was going to spend the whole day in the airport with 2 little kids. They finally got me on a 3 pm flight out of SFO, but I had to take a taxi there, which meant strapping the car seats back into the car, getting help with the enormous amount of luggage, and then running out of cash to tip everyone because I had twice the tips I counted on. To be fair, the airline did pay for the taxi, but all the same, it was NOT fun. I still had to wait almost 2 hr for the flight out of SFO once we got there, and Calvin was past his naptime and was totally miserable.

Anyway, we did eventually get home, and the rest of the vacation was great, so it was worth it. However, I'm not too keen on flying w/2 little kids in the near future.

Vacation stuff part 1

Carol & Tammy after the race

Enjoyed the vacation immensely... the day after the wedding, October 29th, I ran a 5K with my aunt, Carol North, who is in excellent shape and a great runner (I've always admired her running ability). We ran and finished together, and it was great. I had never ever RUN 5K before in my life, so it was very exciting. I actually finished in 11th place out of 68 in my age group. Carol got SECOND PLACE in her age group!!!

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 30 - 39
1 59 Mihaela Plummer 37 Castro Valley CA 23:14
2 94 Jesualda Sousa 34 Monterey CA 25:34
3 111 Bonnie Rebella 39 Chicago IL 26:14
4 119 Amy Wylie 31 Seaside CA 26:25
5 124 Jennifer Dreyer 32 Monterey CA 26:42
6 128 Jodi Rabideau 30 Marina CA 26:52
7 136 Sally Osborne 31 Monterey CA 27:09
8 145 Narayanan Meiyyappa 30 Fremont CA 27:27
9 153 michelle staub 31 monterey CA 27:36
10 161 Jacqueline Perkins 34 Monterey CA 28:02
11 170 Tammy Stevenson 36 Salt Lake City UT 28:07

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 50 - 59
1 88 Sandy Laurence 50 Woodinville WA 25:13
2 171 Carol North 52 Dallas TX 28:08

I'm adorable!!!

Another goal achieved

I biked MILLCREEK CANYON this afternoon. Yup. I did it. All the way from below the fee station (hey, didn't wanna have to fork over the $2.25!) up to the very top. The last mile or so was pretty brutal, but I DID IT! It should also not go unmentioned that my friend Dorothy, who is about 20 years older than me, also made it to the top. She is in amazing shape. I hope that I will be that fit in 20 years.

To celebrate my achievement, we went to Marie Callendar's and I enjoyed a VERY VERY BIG piece of German chocolate pie. Yum! Hey, I burned 1191 calories on that bike ride, so I deserved that piece of pie!!!

Goal award

The larger silver keychain is my award for losing 10% of my weight (which I received sometime around May 2005, I think). The small gold charm is my goal award, which I received today!

Goose Egg

Never ever let your child ride in the basket of a shopping cart. I thought Calvin was afraid enough of heights to stay in the basket. WRONG. He catapulted himself out and landed on his head in the middle of Babies R Us. Embarrassing and stupid. From now on, he rides buckled up in the child seat, no matter how much he protests. The good news is that he's just fine and doesn't seem to even remember that it happened. Whew.

GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I reached my goal today! I have lost 95.0 lbs - from 249.8 to 154.8. I am SO HAPPY to finally be at goal. These last few pounds have taken a while, but it's worth it to really be there at last. Now the maintenance challenge begins, but I feel ready for it. Here's to a healthy lifestyle!

Me with Janiece, my WW leader (She is pregnant right now! How exciting! She lost 100 lb on WW herself, and is very inspirational).

Busy. Reading. Vaccines. WW. Push-ups. Pictures.

I've been busy. I took the job that S offered me, and last week I worked 24 hr because I have no day care tomorrow and Friday, so I needed to make up some of that time. The good side of that is that I don't have to work tomorrow and Friday, except for some stuff I can do from home. I've got some papers to read to inform myself about the research in one lab I'm going to be doing some projects for. While Calvin is napping I should be able to do a little reading, and maybe after he goes to bed I can do some more.

No reading for work tonight, though. I'm just going to enjoy a little reading for fun. I've been reading a book by David Oshinsky about the history of the polio vaccine, and it's very interesting. It makes me so incredibly grateful to have vaccines to give my children so that I don't have to be afraid of them being paralyzed or even killed by polio. They can also avoid measles, mumps, rubella, diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, and yes, even chickenpox. It's amazing that the polio vaccine has only been around for 50 years, and today, we have forgotten the fear of the past. Forgotten enough that there are plenty who don't immunize their children because they are scared of the side effects of the vaccines. Please. The diseases are FAR far worse. All right, I'm about to get on my soapbox, so I'll stop there - you get the point.

You're probably wondering how WW is going. I actually gained 0.8 lb last week, though I think it was water retention. Whatever. It was really annoying, since I was totally following the program all week. Oh well. I'm sure I'll have a nice loss this week, and I am only 2.8 lb from my goal, so I'm very very close. I figure I'll get there by the end of the month. I am so thrilled!

On the physical fitness side of things, it's going great. Today my weight training instructor had us doing push-ups on an exercise ball. Talk about an amazingly hard exercise. I was so proud of myself, though. I did 3 sets of 10-12 reps. Keep in mind that I could barely do 15 GIRLS push-ups a year and a half ago, and now I can do 3 sets of guys' pushups on an exercise ball (much harder than regular push-ups). It was thrilling. The instructor said he was really impressed that Lisa (my weight training buddy) and I could do them so well. He said that we were in great shape. It was wonderful and amazing to hear those words and know that it was true - I have NEVER in my life felt in great shape, until now.

Here are some more pictures of my 5K on 9/30.

Here are some pictures of Calvin's 2nd birthday.

Off to read & relax! Ahhhhh.

The good news

The good news is that despite the lousy race, I lost 2.2 lb this week, bringing my total to 92.8 lb lost. I have ONLY 2 lb to go!!!

The Race

Well, it was a bit of a disappointment all around. After doing a mock 5K in 31:42 on Thursday (an average 10:12 mile), I did the race in only 35:06. Turns out that a couple people w/GPS gizmos said the race was actually 3.26-3.27 miles (seemed like it to me anyway), but that still puts me at a 10:44 mile, which is very disappointing.

To add insult to injury, there was a problem w/the prizes. Every division was divided into men and women, EXCEPT walking, where we were all lumped together. How unfair is that? I placed 5th when combined w/the men, but if they had only counted women, I would have placed 2nd (a 19-year-old woman walked faster than me). Unless they change the way they do things, I don't plan on doing this race again.

All in all, a disappointment.

portraits

We had more portraits done today and they are SO cute! Here is a link to see all of them.

To work, or not to work?

On Thursday I got an interesting phone call. S called and asked if I wanted to work part time again. The position sounds very intriguing and like a great opportunity in a lot of ways, career-wise. I think I'd really enjoy it. L is all in favor of me doing it, with certain conditions I won't detail here (suffice it to say, it will make things easier on him in terms of babysitting at inconvenient times). Calvin LOVES Cove Care (the school we had him in before), and so the big question mark is Michelle. Will she like it? Is it good for her too? We can't really ask her. Today I'm going to leave them there for the afternoon so I can shop for clothes (yeah!) and we'll see how she likes it, that is, if we can tell. If the job was FT, I would not even think about it, because I don't want to be away from the kids that much and I don't think it's good for them either, w/L working FT also. But a great PT job? With the exact hours/days I want to work? It's tempting. I have prayed about it quite a bit, and while no booming voice from heaven is speaking to me, everything seems to indicate that this might be a good thing to do. Input from the readers of this blog is welcomed :).

Interval workouts

Since I'm training for a 5K, my brother recommended interval workouts to help me go faster. They are brutal so far. It is quite the workout. This morning, for example, I did a warm-up then alternated 2 min very fast with 45 sec recovery. By the end of the 2 min I think I'm going to die, and then 45 sec later I get to do it again. It is tough, but the results are going to be good. This morning I went 3.36 miles in 35:52, which is a 10:40 mile - and that INCLUDES the slower pace. I am now hoping maybe I can do a 10:30 pace for the 5K, which would be about 33 min for the race.

Smiley girl

Sticking her tongue out at Daddy

My darling baby girl :)

  

GO UTES!

Miscellany

I somehow have been very busy and I'm not sure where all my time has gone. I guess the regular household stuff just takes lots longer w/2 kids, and I'm not used to it yet. It's been fun, though.

Good news about L's job - things seem to have stabilized for the moment. I didn't post much about the details of the job stress etc because of some confidentiality worries, but I'm happy to say that things are better now. To celebrate, we went to Log Haven on Saturday night. It was really good, but I have to say I think I like the Paris better. Plus we can walk there from our house! We'll have to go there again soon, that is if we can afford it - big expenses last month with buying plane tix for my brother's wedding in October (we had to buy THREE tickets because Calvin will be 2 and has to have his own seat!), paying for Michelle's hospital bill (about $1000 we had to pay, which is not bad considering the total bill was about $40K), and also paying for repairs to one of the cars ($723). Ouch. It's been an expensive month.

We took Calvin to the state fair Sunday night and that was a BIG hit. He absolutely loved the animals. He was running through the cow barn saying "moooo moooo". So cute! He also loved the pigs, the sheep, the goats, the birds, and the rabbits. The carnival rides and games were fascinating to him as well - he walked around wide-eyed, taking it all in. Side note - usually fair food is a HUGE temptation to me, so I brought my own snacks and was able to totally stick to them. I have no idea how, except that the grace of God was reminding me how good it feels to have self-control. It was wonderful.

Exercising has been going great, and I've decided to only bore all of you with my habits when something of note happens. I've entered the Young Alumni 5K at the U on Sept 30th, and am hoping I will get a prize in the women's walking division. I think I can do it - I'm pretty fast these days. Anyone want to join me for the race?

I'm only 5.4 lbs from my WW goal now! I have lost 89.4 lb and want to lose 94.8 lb total to get to 155 lb (yes, I used to weigh 249.8 when I started WW - scary!). I feel like a new person. The only problem is that I literally have almost NOTHING to wear now. I have bought a few pairs of jeans and a few short sleeve shirts at the thrift store to tide me over, but I'm thinking it might be time to buy some new clothes now that I'm almost at my goal and I have nothing to wear. When we went to dinner last Saturday night I had to wear big baggy stuff because otherwise I just didn't have anything nice that was warm enough for a cold night up Millcreek Canyon. I'm excited but not sure how much $ I want to spend right at this moment, since I'm feeling rather broke. I'll probably just get a few things now and save $ to get some more in a month or so.

Being in shape has a big down side

After a marvelous bike ride partway up Millcreek Canyon tonight with Dorothy, I came home thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could talk L into biking some with me. After all, he really does love biking more than just about any other exercise. But no. He is flatly not interested in biking with me at all until he gets in better shape. How is he supposed to get in better shape if he won't go? I suggested we could bike flat rides, like the Jordan River or over by the airport. Nope. No dice. I am not sure I get it... I mean, it's not a competition. I would go as slow as he wanted. I just would love to have the company and hang out w/him some. I guess he feels threatened by the fact that I'm in better shape, though I'm not sure why. I did stuff with him when he was in better shape, and he waited for me, and that was great. Can a man in the reading audience help me understand what the deal is here? I'm just not getting it. :( I'm sad. I wish things were different somehow.

Book baby, garbage cans, etc.

Calvin and I (and Michelle too, of course, though she slept the whole time) went to Book Baby today at the Anderson-Foothill Library. It was great. Calvin totally loved the other kids, the songs, the books, the bubbles, and the balls and boxes to play with afterwards. Fabulous! I think we will return often.

In other news, the weather was so gorgeous that we all took a wonderful walk after dinner - we meandered around the block, following Calvin who dutifully pointed out all the blue and green garbage cans ("Boo", "Dean") and the fire hydrants, the rocks, and all sorts of wonderful things.

Changing the subject yet again, on Tuesday I had my cholesterol checked and it was normal (not that I was expecting otherwise). Michelle had her 2 month shots the same day, and I got a tetanus/pertussis shot so I could sympathize with her (seriously, they are recommending now that adults get a pertussis booster, as whooping cough cases are on the rise). I also got an appt for a bone scan due to my strong family history of osteoporosis/osteopenia. It's Tuesday morning at 10 am. Now I just have to find someone to watch Calvin for an hour or two so I can go - Michelle I think can come with me, no problem - she usually sleeps in her car seat just great. Anyway, any takers to watch Calvin for me for an hour?

Loren wants to watch a movie tonight, so I'm going to go ahead. I'm sure I'll regret it when the alarm goes off at 5:45 am, but what the heck. I can hopefully get in a nap tomorrow.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I did a sub-11:00 mile walking! Woooo hooo!

Today it just seemed right. The weather was a perfect 55 degrees (I love it when it's just a little nippy - perfect for exercising) and sunny (well, the sun wasn't all the way up, but it was beautiful). I decided to go for it and try to see just how fast I could go. I pushed really hard most of the way and finished the 3.75 mile SH Park route in 40:07, for an average 10:43 mile!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ave HR 149.

Yesterday I did an easy 35:32 time over 3.02 miles... about an 11:46 mile. Ave HR 138.

Friday's Feat!

I got featured in Friday's feat in Salt Lake Tribune columnist Sheena McFarland's blog. Check it out here!

W-F exercise

Wed walked SH Park 3.75 miles 42:09.
Th walked uncertain distance, but it felt good. 35 minutes, high intensity.
F walked to Laird and 1900 E, about 3.1 miles (ish). 35:36, about 11:29 mile.

We did it!

Alex, Erica, and I hiked Mt. Timpanogos yesterday. It's a total of 14.06 miles on the Timpooneke trail, and 4389 feet of elevation change. We left the trailhead at 6:30 am, and got to the top at 11 am. I was pretty scared on the top part, as the drop-offs by the trail were very steep. The vertigo was quite something - I had never really experienced anything like that before. Alex & Erica were quite encouraging though, and up we went. Fortunately, the altitude didn't really bother me much (though Alex and Erica noticed it more, being from sea level). The views from the saddle and the summit were so beautiful - I was amazed (actually, the scenery on the whole hike was fabulous - it was just a gorgeous hike). We ate lunch on top of the mountain, and descended starting at about 11:40 am. We got back to the car at 3:30 pm, very dirty and tired, but feeling victorious. My muscles aren't too sore today, except for my calves, which are hurting. (However, it didn't keep me from going on my walk this morning, which felt good - I did an 11:17 mile for 3.12 miles!). I'm happy that the training I did enabled me to actually do the hike pretty well.
MORE PICTURES HERE

Visitors!

My brother and his fiancee, Erica, are coming TONIGHT! I am so excited to see him and to meet her! Yay!

We are planning to hike Timp on Monday. That is going to be a challenge, but I've been working out hard and think I'm ready. I hope.

Working for the elusive sub-11:00 mile

Wed 8/16 biked to circuit training workout and back

Th 8/17 pushed the kids in the stroller to Liberty Park, fast. Got 30 min high intensity exercise. It was HOT though. Later that night, biked Emigration Canyon (7.6 miles, 1333 ft elevation change) w/Dorothy. It took 55 min to get to the top of Little Mountain. It was an awesome ride!

F 8/18 biked to circuit training workout and back

Sat 8/19 walked to 923 Diestel & back, 3.12 miles. 35:18, which is an 11:18 mile.

Still working for that darned elusive sub 11:00 mile. I will get it someday... I have been close - did SH Park in 11:07 once. Will keep trying!

Exercise update

Saturday 8/12 walked to 953 Diestel; 3.02 miles; 35:20 (11:41 mile). 64 degrees, felt good. Average heart rate 141.

Sunday 8/13 walked about 4 miles while camping. It was beautiful up in the mountains and it was an amazing walk. 52 minutes; ave heart rate was low 140s.

Monday 8/14 walked pushing the stroller because Loren had an early morning appt and my alarm clock didn't go off. It was a decent walk but a bit warm.

Tuesday 8/15 hiked up Mt Van Cott above the U of U. I'm not sure how far I walked, but my book Hiking the Wasatch suggests 2 miles round trip. However, I think it was farther because of where I had to park - there is now a building where there used to be parking when the book was written. I am guessing maybe 3 miles round trip. It took about 1 hr 10 min, and it is 1148 feet of elevation gain, according to the book. My quads were really feeling it on the way down - it was quite steep, that's for sure. I'm still trying to get ready for the Timp hike next Monday the 21st, so I thought a real steep hike was in order.

Book game

Sara wrote in her blog about some books. I love to read, though my taste is definitely not as sophisticated as hers. Nonetheless, I thought I'd write about what I like.

1. One book that changed your life: Walking: The Complete Guide to the Complete Exercise by Casey Meyers (see my previous post as to why).

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. He is one of my favorite writers, and this book is a classic in the sci-fi genre.

3. One book you would want on a desert island: If I can only pick one, I agree w/Sara that it would have to be the Bible.

4. One book that made you laugh: The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy - OK, it was fluffy, but it really was funny. I'm also enjoying the Girlfriend's Guide to Toddlers.

5. One book that made you cry: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Great book - I love time travel books, and this one had some new twists. It was super sad, though.

6. One book I wish had been written: How to Survive Med School, Residency, Quitting, and Career Indecision And Trouble That Seems To Go On Forever.

7. One book you wish had never been written: I've read some really really BAD sci-fi books my dad passes on to me... but they were so bad I've forgotten (mercifully) their titles.

8. One book you are currently reading: John Adams, by David McCullough. Great book so far. I finished 1776 (by the same author)not long ago for book club, and it was fabulous, so now I'm reading John Adams for an encore. I am bummed, though, because I don't think I'll be able to attend book club w/my brother and his fiancee in town this weekend.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (recommended by Kate Wheatley).

10. Tag five people: Tania Choi, Sara McNeil, Mark Peach, Sam Wheatley, and Danny Maland (don't even know if you all read my blog, but hey, it's worth a shot!).

The book that has changed my life

Aside from the Bible, the book that has most changed my life in the last year (I discovered it in August - my mom actually had a copy!?!?!) is Walking: A Complete Guide to the Complete Exercise by Casey Meyers. It is an awesome guide to help the average person learn to do "aerobic walking". This is NOT race walking (though now I am very interested in race walking and trying to learn some of the techniques). It just means that you are walking fast enough to get your heart rate in the aerobic training range of 65%-85% of max. Yes, you can do this by walking. You do not have to run and risk knee or other injury to get the maximum aerobic benefit.

The principle is this: walking is a LESS efficient gait than running when you do it very fast. That means you use MORE energy, more oxygen, etc. to walk fast than to run. Therefore, it is VERY good exercise. The key is to use a bent arm swing when you walk, so that you can go fast enough to get your heart rate in the aerobic range. It really works, and it's the best exercise I have ever tried - and I'm a former confirmed couch potato. No more! It really has changed my life to find an exercise I love. The best part is, when I work out, I get to eat more :) and still lose weight!

Well, that's enough ranting... you should try it for yourself! Let me know how you like it. I will be happy to help you learn the technique if you like - it is really very easy.`

Walking 8/10

SugarHouse Park, 3.75 miles

Total time 41:31 (11:07 per mile average!)
Mile 1 11:37
Mile 2 22:26 (10:49! WOW! My first whole mile under 11:00!)
Mile 3 33:48 (11:22)

Average heart rate 148.

Temperature was a perfect 62. Could not have been better weather for an aerobic walk.

I'm wondering if my mile markers are off, since my 2nd mile is always faster when I do this course. I will have to go double check one of these days.

Today was my record time! I am hoping to break an 11:00 mile over the whole course eventually. That would mean going quite a bit faster, but I think I can do it. I have been re-inspired by reading my favorite walking book again and got some great technique tips. See post above for more info.

SMILES!

Michelle SMILED at Loren on Monday night, and she smiled at me several times yesterday! It is so great to see her developing and the smiles are the cutest. I will try to get one on camera soon.

Walking 8/8

Yesterday I walked for 35 min but did LOTS of hills. I went UP the hill on Harrison between 1100 and 1300 East 4 times. That is one steep mother of a hill! I hope it helps me get ready for Timp in 2 weeks. Today I biked to circuit training (about 550 calories total burned) and tomorrow I plan to do another long walk, hopefully UP hill somewhere.

Enjoying the journey

WW for the week was a new challenge. I did great all week but gained 2.2 lb. My leader thinks it's b/c I have been training so much for the Timp climb, and that when you work out >1hr at high intensity that you can actually end up gaining. I think maybe that has something to do w/it, but maybe it's water weight, or postpartum hormones, or who knows what. In any case, the lesson today was about enjoying the journey and not being in too much of a hurry to get to goal, because this is a lifetime thing. That was appropriate and helpful, and I'm excited to have a great week and keep up the positive changes I've made. Went to Bern & Tyler's baby shower tonight and ate great - even had points for delicious cake! I was certainily enjoying my journey tonight!

Exercise

Friday 8/4
No weight training class, so I went biking - to 1514 Emigration Canyon Rd. Time uphill: 35 min. Time downhill: 17 min.

Saturday 8/5
Walking - 3 miles, to 1300 S 1900E. Time: 35:06. 11:42/mile. Felt tired today.

8 mile challenge

I'm currently training to climb Mt. Timpanogos w/my brother on August 21, so I thought I'd do a longer walk to get in shape. I did almost 8 miles this morning to see if I could keep up the pace. It was a pleasant morning (about 68 degrees) with low humidity and a nice breeze. I took the dogs, and they managed to do the whole thing, believe it or not.

Stats:
7.92 miles
1:35:09
average mile 12:01 (darn it, just a litte faster and I'd have cracked 12 min for the distance)
average heart rate 139
calories burned 847 (wow! I am going to enjoy some great food today!)

Mt. Timpanogos hike stats (we may start and end at the same spot and not do the car thing, in which case the stats will be a bit different):

Distance: 12.9 miles (plus 5.3 miles by car)

Elevations: 4,580 ft. gain, 4,840 ft. loss
• Timpooneke Trailhead (start): 7,170 ft.
• Emerald Lake: 10,380 ft.
• Mount Timpanogos: 11,749 ft.
• Mount Timpanogos Trailhead (finish): 6,910 ft.

The Garbage Can Flood of 2006

Yesterday there was a HUGE thunderstorm here. Lots of damage in Provo and other places. However, in our neighborhood, there was just the giant garbage can flood. We live on a hill, and when it poured very very hard for a while, the gutters filled with water. LOTS of water. A 2 foot wide fast-moving river of water. My mother-in-law heard the noise first - "Wow, that thunder is really loud". She looked outside and saw garbage cans being carried down the street from above. The uphill neighbors' cans careened downhill, hit our cans (one of them still FULL!) and carried them downhill. Fast. We ran after the cans, me with the baby in the sling, Calvin watching at the door. I came upon our green can and had to wrestle it upright and put slimy tomatoes and other garbage back in it, getting wetter by the second as it poured rain on me. I dragged the can up the hill and through the river of water, getting myself totally drenched. The minute I set foot in the river, the force of the water against my leg caused the water to shoot up to soak my shorts and underwear. Meanwhile, MIL was dragging the blue can (empty) up the hill to our house. Whew. The baby actually slept through the whole thing, believe it or not. She was pretty wet though, so I had to change her clothes, which woke her up - go figure. What an adventure!

Biking - Monday 7/31; Walking - Tuesday 8/1

Biking:
City Creek Canyon with Dorothy - about 55 minutes to the top (maybe as much as 57? didn't look at my stopwatch right when we got there). It was pretty good until the last 5-10 min, when my legs got really tired after some huge hills at the end. I'm thinking I might need to look into a bike w/lower gears. Total time 1 hr 19 min (though that includes a couple stops, notably at the top).

Walking:
To Laird and 1900 E. 3.08 miles, 35:10. Average 11:25 mile.
65 degrees, 74% humidity. Felt good to start, but was a bit warm by the time I got home.
Felt great on the way out, but on the way back my legs were tired, probably from the biking and weight training on Monday (I did walking lunges w/50 lb in weight training).

Walking

To 953 Diestel and back, 3.02 miles.
35:58, average 11:55 mile.
Slow today - it was nasty outside. 75 degrees and 50% humidity, which for here is just icky feeling - too humid and I just felt hot the whole time. Got a bit of a side stitch too. However, I'm glad I went and got the exercise, as I feel better for it now that I'm home.

WW progress

This week I lost 1.8 lb for a total of 82.8 lb!
I am only 12 lb from goal now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The grandfather of one of my piano students is 6 lb from goal (and has been for quite some time now). I challenged him to a contest - if he gets to goal first, I get him a baseball cap. If I get to goal first, he gets me a WW cookbook. I hope this helps to motivate him :).

Walking

SugarHouse Park, 3.75 miles.
Total time 42:12 (new record!). Average mile 11:15.
Split times:
Mile 1 - 11:34
Mile 2 - 11:10
Mile 3 - 11:39
Mile 3.75 - 7:48 (10:24 mile; this segment has lots of downhill, FYI).

Walking today

SugarHouse Park route, 3.75 miles, 42:40. 3 mile split 34:41. Overall, 11:22.2 mile. First 3 miles 11:34. That last 0.75 miles was a blistering 10:38!!!

Felt a little sluggish at the start, and decided I'd take it easy. But when I got warmed up a bit, it felt great, so I went faster. When I hit the park, there were a couple of joggers moving slowly, and I thought "maybe I can pass them". Sure enough, my walking was faster than their slow jogging, and I passed them up. I have never passed a jogger before, and I was thrilled! This motivated me to go really fast and by the end I was flying. Felt great most of the time except for a slight side stitch partway through. The weather was great - not as hot as it has been. Still a bit warm by the end, but not bad.

Big news!

My brother is engaged! Yup, that's right! I've known for a little while, but am just getting around to posting about it. I haven't met Erica yet, but everyone tells me she's great, especially Alex :). They are coming to visit us in August, and I'm really looking forward to meeting my new sister! I have always wanted to have a sister!!!

Here are some pictures of their engagement.

Exercise

Last night: biked w/Dorothy from 5600W to the Saltair. She said it was about 17-18 miles. 1 hr 10 min. Quads were very tired at the end!

This morning: walked 3.02 mi (to 1222S 1300E) in 35:21, an 11:42 mile.
My legs felt very tired, not surprisingly. Still did pretty well, though. It was warm but not too hot. Ran into Kim Thoenen out on my walk and enjoyed a brief chat.

WW progress for the week

Forgot to post this yesterday. Lost 1.0 lb for a total of 81.0 lb! I only have 14 lb to go to get to goal now :).

Walking times

I'm going to start keeping track of my walks on here... seemed like a good place to put them.

Saturday 7/22:
3.04 miles, 36:00, 11:50 /mile.
Felt great - uphill route to 931 Diestel Rd, farthest I've ever gotten on this route in that time. Right quad a bit sore from something.
Very hot today.

Sunday 7/23: 3.75 miles (SugarHouse Park), 42:53 (mile splits 11:50; 23:20 (11:30); 34:52 (11:32)) , 11:26/mile. RECORD TIME!
Hey, I was smokin'! Right quad still a bit sore.
It was hot today.

Ski Jumping

We attended the women's international ski jumping competition in Park City tonight, which was a LOT of fun. Calvin absolutely loved watching the jumpers and clapping when the crowd clapped and cheered for the good jumps. He also loved watching people go down the zip line adjacent to the ski jumps. He mooched popcorn off of a lady sitting next to us, which was a bit embarrassing but really cute. Michelle slept the whole time, except for waking up to eat once.

Here are some pictures.

Anniversary dinner

We finally got our annniversary dinner (it was June 26th but I was in the hospital). Here's to 13 great years and many more to come!
We enjoyed a fabulous meal at Caffe Molise. Yum! The salmon was delicious, and the chocolate mousse cake was especially memorable, but the best part was getting some great time with Loren and having a nice uninterrupted adult conversation!

More baby fluff

She really does like those arms free :) 

Likes to sleep like this

She wouldn't sleep until she could wiggle her arms out of the swaddling and hold them over her head. Go figure... 

New swimsuit

Couldn't resist. I do have one that fits, but it's actually 15 years old, because that is the last time I was small enough to wear it. So, it was time for a new one.
All that pregnancy exercise really paid off... can you believe I had a baby 3 1/2 weeks ago?