It's Like Christmas!

We got new toys at our house: cell phones!

We replaced the one we use as our home phone. I got a phone. Briana got a phone. Taylor got a phone. Ashtyn got a phone.

We have purchased our children Go Phones when they started high school. With as many directions as we are going, it has been nice to have a way to get hold of them. BUT they have to buy their minutes.

The rules are the same. But now they have a set monthly fee for their phones. For that reason, we did not originally get phones for Tay and Ashtyn. Then they came to us and asked if they could work off their monthly fees. We felt that that was fair, until they get jobs. We told them that the work we will have them do is going to be serious physical labor, and not the regular "stuff" that is expected of a family member. They agreed to our terms.

And we told them we'd rather they had a job. :)

This week Taylor sanded and stained the deck. It looks awesome! (And I didn't have to do it--heeheehee.)

It's like Christmas for all of us!

Rude Awakening

At 1:00 this morning, Bella woke up and started barking. I looked out our window to see a whole bunch of girls toilet papering our yard. For those who knew me in high school, this is probably a prime example of "turnabout is fair play."

Spencer and I looked out the window for a moment, and I said, "Keep watching. This is going to be funny." I walked to the front door and switched on the light. When I came back to the bedroom, he was giggling. He said, "Did you see them scatter? There were two carloads of them!"

They came back later and honked. But they didn't finish the job. There are still rolls of TP on the driveway.

All I have to say is this: AMATEURS! They should talk to a real pro.

Tiff's in town!

My sister, Tiffany, is in town with her children. I love it! These kids are so good, and it's very fun having my sister around. The only problem is getting any sleep--we're too busy talking. :)

Friday we went to Cascade Springs. We hiked a bit and had a picnic lunch. Here's a picture of all of us along the trail (Spencer is in the lead--anyone surprised?).

Happy Birthday Show & Tell

Last week my friend, Carol Westaway, asked me if some earrings just showed up for some reason, what color would I want them to be. I told her lavendar, to go with a fabulous pair of shoes that I have. I haven't been able to find any lovable lavendar clothes, but I could wear black and white and lavendar jewelry and shoes. These are the necklace, bracelet, and earrings she made for my birthday. Aren't they fun?

Carol and Tahnee also brought a big sign for my desk and cupcakes to share with everyone. So fun!

Spencer took the afternoon off work, so he came and took me to lunch at the Lion House. Yum. (But I didn't even TRY to log NutriMirror yesterday.)

After work, Spencer, Briana, Taylor, and I went to see Harry Potter again. :)

It was a lovely day.

(I'm 41.)

Logging in to Fitness

I love the internet!

I am daily visiting a website called NutriMirror.com. It is a place to log your food, water, and exercise. I am loving it, and it is helping me in my quest for fitness. I weighed in at the beginning; but I find that weighing in just discourages me. If I've gained I just feel down in the dumps; if I've lost then I get this "I don't have to do it any more!" mentality. So I've set a goal, and I will probably weigh in in 6 months and 12 months (my birthday). But this website keeps track of my daily calorie intake as well as my exercise, so it tells me how much more I can eat throughout the day. So helpful! My friend Karleen is the one who told me about it; Cathy sent me the link; I shared it with Spencer; we are sharing menus. Great stuff!

Spencer took me to Wasatch Running today. I got some good running shoes. Pricey, but worth it if I can avoid injury. It turns out that I have some serious pronation (my feet tilt in toward my arches), so the wonderful fitter, named Brad, was able to help me find some shoes that would help with that. I hope that helping to correct this will keep my knees healthier.

Spencer had asked for new running shoes for Father's Day, so he got shoes, too. Because we spent so much (yikes!) they gave us a free shirt. It's pink; it's mine! And Spence let me try his compression shorts, too, which I liked. Landon and I went to the Oval to run this evening, and it was good.

I'm feeling good. AND, 10 milk chocolate M&M's are only 34 calories, so I can still have a sweet treat every once in a while. It's amazing how far a little bit will go!

Why I Am Going to Run a 5K

1. To get fit. Having a goal helps me get out the door to exercise every day.

2. Because Spencer can help me. I don't want to spend a lot of time researching an activity in order to get the most benefit, have the most fun, or stay away from injuries. Having a personal trainer (who has done all of that stuff) is my way of succeeding while STILL cutting corners. I'm just that kinda girl.

3. Because Spencer and I can do it together. My running is not as great or as fast or as strong as his, but we are together.

4. Because I can. This sounds like that old "Why Climb Mount Everest?" thing. But the truth is that nearly 15 years ago I was diagnosed with MS. At that time I seriously wondered what my quality of life would be when I was 40. I feel that every day is a gift (even though I don't always recognize them as such). So I'm going to take full advantage of the gift of my health for as long as I can.

5. Everyone is doing it. (I just had to throw that one in there.)

6. To lose weight. This is just the cherry on top. *See #1 above

See you in West Jordan on August 15!

Sick Daddy

My Dad had to have his gall bladder removed yesterday. He was one sick man! The surgery ended up being more involved than was expected, but we witnessed miracles and tender mercies.

He's feeling quite a bit better today, though sore from the surgery.

Get better, Daddy!

We're Nuts!

This is us at midnight. In the movie theatre.

I went to bed at 9:45, and everyone got me up at 11:15 so we could go see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

For the record: I. LOVED. IT.

The end.

GOOD NEWS! Ashtyn is sick!

I just heard back from the GI doc who did Ashie's biopsies. Everything looks normal and beautiful EXCEPT---

She has a lactase level of 2. A 24 means you're lactose-intolerant but could maybe have a little milk on your cereal. Most people have a lactase level of 50-60. Ashtyn's is 2.

TWO.

No wonder she's been sick! Since she basically cannot digest milk products AT ALL, the sugars from the dairy ferment in her intestine, she feels sick, and she eventually either vomits or purges from the other end. (Sorry for the graphics.)

Really good news is that she doesn't have ciliac spru (sp?), which is in Spencer's family. Everything else is perfect--no allergies, etc.

We'll now be working to keep Ashie lactose-free. She doesn't like milk, so that won't be too big a problem. We'll keep lactaid on hand for any cooking things. Pancakes and waffles need to be made from scratch because there's dry milk in mixes. She'll have stay away from ice cream altogether (say "Hello" to sorbet!). She can have cheddar cheese in VERY small doses. No hot chocolate, no yogurt, no soft cheeses like mozarella or cottage cheese, no mac & cheese.

The doctor said that her lactase level is so low that Lactaid, etc. probably won't help much; but it's worth a try for the times when she's getting cheese and stuff.

This will be a challenge for Ash, but of all of our children (and really, of all people), Ashtyn is the best candidate for making it happen. She's just that kind of a great person. And I am seriously relieved that we can find something to help her.

Boooo... and hooray!

My favorite T-shirt

I personally keep M&M/Mars in business. Really.

A few years ago I saw a T-shirt in the mall that I still beat myself up for NOT buying. It said:

Wheat for Man.--D&C 89:17
Chocolate for Woman.--M&M 24:7

Today Spencer sent me this. He was in an extremely interesting WebEx meeting at the time:

M&M's, one of the most popular candies in the United States, were originally an import from England called Smarties. Forrest Mars Sr. saw soldiers during the Spanish Civil War eating chocolate pellets that were coated in sugar to prevent chocolate from sticking to their fingers.
After the rights were purchased by Americans Forrest Mars Sr. and R. Bruce Murrie in 1939, they had to reintroduce them to the domestic market with a different name because there was already a candy product sold in the U.S. under the name Smarties. To identify their new brand, they combined the first initials of their last names: M & M. M&M's were first sold in the United States in 1941. By World War II, American soldiers were given the candy by the United States Army because they were a convenient snack that traveled well in any climate; soon after this it was marketed to the public. M&M's soon became a hit because, in those times when air conditioning was not usually found in stores, homes, or the automobile, melting chocolate candy bars were a problem; but with M&M's, the candy's coating kept the chocolate from getting messy.

Bottom line: Who cares? Just keep 'em coming!