My Plan

Is anyone curious about the plan I'm on with Total Health and Fitness?

I personally think it is the greatest plan because it's all about eating healthy and working out. No gimmicks. The program focuses on losing fat, not weight. Losing weight will happen but I think it's neat to focus on gaining muscle. I hate how old I feel and love the idea of being stronger, not just skinnier.

Every week I meet with my coach for a new week plan. He wants me to start by gaining some muscle this week and possibly gain some weight. He's starting me off a pretty easy on weights and excercise. I thought it was weird because I told him I was already going to the gym, but I totally trust him because I've done this plan before and I know it works.

Week One Cardio
15 minutes light treadmill, 2 days this week. Even though I'm over weight, he wants me to gain weight this week so that's why the cardio is so darn light. Eventually I'll get up to 3-4 days of hard cardio for 40 minutes, but that's about all it takes on this plan.

Week One Resistance Training
One day for arms and one day for legs and abs. I have about 8 specific weights to lift two times for 12-15 reps. I'm supposed to push to failure. Again, I'm very surprised he isn't having me start with more since I've already been going to the gym, but it's all good. I know it will work. Eventually I'll get up to 4 (maybe 5) days of resistance training a week. I'll work my abs each day and rotate arms and legs each day.

Each week is totally different on this plan depending on how your body reacts and what you need to do to accomplish your goals.

Week One Food Plan

• First thing - workout shake (only if I'm lifting weights that day).
• Breakfast - Bowl of Cheerios and fruit, non-fat skim milk, and one and a half eggs.
• Snack - Wheat Thins, cottage cheese and watermelon.
• Lunch - Turkey sandwich on low calorie wheat bread, grapes.
• Snack - Peanut butter bar (they totally help satisfy my sweet tooth).
• Dinner - Chicken breast, brown rice and zucchini.
• Snack - If I really need a snack at night I can have some protein (chicken or turkey).

Every week I know exactly what I have to do to succeed. I love not having to think about what I'm going to eat or do at the gym. I have a plan, I will follow it and I will be successful.

My goal is to lose 22 lbs and go from 28% body fat to 17% body fat in four months. I don't plan to go on and be totally muscular like some of the people they show on their website, but I do hope you'll be able to see some definition in my arms. At 17% you should be able to. I'm going to do this!! It's taken me forever to stop mourning my pregancy weight (geez, Meg is 4) but I'm finally over that and ready to go.

Scrapbooking

After looking at several of the new scrapbook pages people have posted in their galleries on my website, I was really inspired to scrapbook yesterday. I ran out of time and won't have time today so hopefully I can get around to it tomorrow. Here is an old scrapbook page of mine. I think it would be really fun to interview my kids again. It's so fun to look back at this interview Angie had with Luke.

Today I'm speaking at an IRS training day conference in Ogden, UT. Ha ha. I think it's great I get to do this. I'm teaching several digital scrapbook classes to a group of 300-500 people. Wish me luck.

Wahoooo!!!!

No more training wheels! He figured it out, on his third time out to practice. Sunday night I made him ride his bike to my mom's who lives about a half mile away. He was so nervous. I told him his goal was to ride for 4 seconds without help. He was scared even though I was right there. Monday night his dad helped him and within 2 minutes he was doing this:

I couldn't believe it! I thought it was such a lucky thing Keith was around to see this. Later when I mentioned this to Keith, he said it wasn't not luck. He thinks he just knows how to motivate Luke and pointed out he was there when Luke swam across the pool for the first time too. Hummm... I still think it's luck but I do agree that Luke probably wants to impress his dad and works a little harder for him.

Within about 10 minutes Luke was doing this:

Within 20 minutes Luke was able to start and stop by himself and could ride around the block! Today he was riding around like it was old news. So exciting!!!

Confession? Declaration?

About 5 years ago I started a fitness program with Total Health and Fitness. I did so well on the program. I started because I was having a hard time losing my pregnancy weight. In four months I lost 22 lbs and went from 35% body fat to 18.9% body fat. I was so proud of myself. A week or two before I finished the program I got pregnant with Megan. I quickly got out of the habit of exercising and eating really well. When I’m pregnant or nursing I have this weird thing where I literally can’t feel full. When I was almost done nursing Megan I finally started recognizing that I could feel full if I ate really healthy balanced meals. I didn’t gain any extra weight from that but I didn’t lose any of my pregnancy weight and I’m still carrying it plus a little more. Did I really just admit that?

I am starting Total Health and Fitness again today. I’m so excited. I really did enjoy this before. I’ve resisted going back because #1 I was embarrassed to go back, #2 it’s expensive, #3 its super hard work, and #4 I know everything I’m supposed to do anyway. I’ve started some other great fitness programs in the past few years but my heart just wasn’t into it. I’ve been way to stressed out and have felt too overwhelmed to really lose my weight before now. A year ago I finally started feeling better and just this month I’m feeling like I am starting to get on top of things again. I’m so excited to start this program! The program is really cool because you work with a trainer who customizes a fitness and nutrition plan for you. They weigh measure and test your body fat every week. Trust me – having a totally fit guy pinch your stomach fat is MOTIVATING!!! I hate that part so much but it really makes me want to work hard. This program is great for me but I do know a lot of people that hate it because you eat the same balanced meals every day for a week. It doesn’t bother me. I just love not having to think about what I’m going to eat next and knowing that what I’m eating is going to help me reach my goal. I'm way healthier eating this way because I tend to eat a lot of carbs when I don't have a plan.

Today I realized that I’m actually 10 lbs heavier than the last time I started. GEEZ! The good news is that I’m 7% lower in body fat than the last time I started. I’ve been working out and lifting weights the past 9 months with little change to my weight. I feel better but it’s nice to actually know that despite my lack of weight loss, I’m making changes to my body. Body fat changes are much more important than weight although I need both.

I'm leaving now to meet with my coach. I'm excited to set some goals.

Superheros and a Rock Concert

My friend Danielle posted this picture (and lots of others) on her blog today. I had no idea there was a superhero store in NYC. I wish I would have known since I went there THREE times this year. Who knows when I'll ever be back. Click on this link and scroll down to day three to see more about this store. Be careful though, her blog is incredible. You might be sucked in for a LONG time looking at all of her gorgeous projects and pictures. Get your kids fed before you look at her blog :)



Last night we rocked out to the Hannnah Montana 3-D concert on the Disney channel. Did anyone else? Luke insisted on the music being as LOUD as possible while he practiced some of his cool hip hop moves. Megan danced like a sweet princess. Ha ha. They are so different!

I remember growing up dancing to Olivia Newton John. We loved dancing to her music and we did it all the time! Anyone else grow up loving Olivia Newton John?

Kelly, do you remember this wig???

Papers and embellishments from the new Family Ties CD.

We Love Shel Silverstein!

Aren't Shel Silverstein's poems the best? It's so much fun reading them with my kids. I think they learn so much about the meaning of words from his poems too!

Happy 24th!

Today is a holiday in Utah. It's the day the pioneers finally got to the Salt Lake Valley and Brigham Young said his most famous words, "This is the place". I have many pioneer ancestors including James Laird who was part of the Willie Handcart Company. Many who were in the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies died from starvation and cold after being persecuted and driven out of Illinois in the mid 1800's.

To celebrate the holiday my sister Angie and I took the kids to This Is The Place State Park and enjoyed lots of great pioneer activities. The kids were able to do all sorts of farm chores and play pioneer games. It was a lot of fun but I am so happy to be sitting in the cool air conditioning now.

Challenge

Here is the challenge.

Here is my attempt. I chose a diving picture because I'm especially missing the ocean right now.



Now you try. Ask me questions if you need help.

For Your Kids

This site is BRILLIANT!!! Definitely sign up for the free 2 week trial but wait until after you have gone through all the free videos. I learn tons right along with my kids.

Another amazing site. There are so many great activities to help you children read even if they are only 2 years old and need to start learning their alphabet. Take your time to really explore all of the areas of the site so that you know all of the great resources available to you there. Let your kids take over the keyboard and click on everything they want. It's tons of fun.

Just for fun. My kids loved this today.

She's Getting Married

My cute sister is marrying an awesome guy. I'm so happy for the two of them. I can't believe we only have a couple more weeks until the wedding. Crazy!!! I love Erin so much. She is a great sister. I have so many fun memories with her. She has always been a great friend. She makes me happy. Some of my favorite memories with her include roasting marshmallows in the kitchen of my first house, making kiwi ice-cream, driving to the Tetons alone with her when she was only 9, dancing, making up goofy words and names, laughing... we were always laughing, taking her on my dates, running in the rain, hiking, camping and listening to her LONG voice mails when I was first married. I love her!! It's been heartbreaking for me to not spend as much time with her since she got home from Argentina last year but we are both busy. I could make more time for her but I feel overwhelmed simply making it through my day sometimes. I worry about Erin and hope she knows I love her even though I have to focus on my family and not her.

Last night I went with her to a bridal shower that Mathew's ward put on for her. It was so much fun to go to the shower with her. I was the only family member from our side of the family this time which made it a little more special for me. I really liked Matthew before but now I like him 300 times more because so many people there had so many good things to say about him. It makes me happy to know my sister is marrying such a good guy.





Erin designed her announcement using the Garden CD. Didn't she do an amazing job? I helped with the back and took all the pictures. I really love these pictures and I am so glad we had enough pictures that turned out ok. They are a good looking couple aren't they?

BTW - If there is anyone who thinks they should have got an invitation but didn't make sure you tell me. I remember forgetting to send out an invitation to someone when I got married and felt so bad! It's just so hard to keep track and remember everything you are doing when you send these invites out.

The Tooth Fairy Is Coming

Designs from this kit on the Playground CD.

Highlights

Truthfully, I didn’t enjoy my trip to Chicago. I’m so glad to be home. There were a couple MAJOR highlights for me on the trip though. The first highlight came after missing my flight. Geez!! I got to the airport and didn’t notice I had forgotten my portfolio until I had checked in my luggage. I hurried and called Keith in an absolute panic asking him to bring it to me. He came as quick as he could and while he was driving to the airport kept saying, “you better not miss your plane”. I did everything to ensure that once I finally got the portfolio could rush through security and make it to my gate. My gate, of course was the very furthest gate in the airport. I got there only a couple minutes after they closed the gate and several minutes before they were going to take off but they wouldn’t let me on (I even pulled tears). For the record… potentially missing my flight in LA a couple weeks ago would have been fine because we had a perfect back up plan. I had no backup plan for missing this flight but fortunately, Delta got me on the next flight in just a couple hours so I was ok. I almost lied to Keith and told him that I made the flight but I just couldn’t do it. I was so tempted though.

Missing my flight turned out to be the greatest thing. On the next flight I sat next to a man from India. He said he was from Bombay. I asked him, “Isn’t Goa near Bombay”. He looked absolutely delighted I knew about Goa and said, “Yes, that’s where I live”. I explained one of my best friends from High School was from there. He asked what her last name was. I said, “Chowgule” then he said, “What’s her first name”. I said, “Maya” and he smiled and said, “I’m her dad!”. Ha ha! How cool is that? What a crazy coincidence! We ended up talking the entire way to Chicago. It was a lot of fun. I really liked talking to him. A lot of the things I like about Maya are personality traits her dad (Ramesh) has. I had met him before, but only once and I doubt we talked more than a couple minutes. All the kids in Maya’s family came here for High School. Maya’s mom (Bonnie) is from Utah. Maya’s parents met in the sixties at BYU and lived in the states for a few years before going back to India. While Maya lived here, she lived with her older sister. Her parents stayed in India. Her mom was able to travel here much more often than her dad which is why I didn’t know him.

As I said, it was a lot of fun talking to him as we flew to Chicago. I loved hearing some of his perspectives on the world. We talked about many of the differences between the US and India. We talked about raising kids – he thinks all kids should learn a second language and a musical instrument. We talked about jobs – he believes there will be a lot more great employment opportunities outside of the US in the coming years. We talked about various cities – I didn’t realize how modern some of the Indian and Middle East cities are becoming. We talked about living in different countries – he wants to buy a house in Australia or London because it would be so much easier to travel to than the US. He still plans to keep a house in Utah because they still have ties here but wants to buy another home than the one he has here so we talked about that too. Ha ha. I certainly live a different life than he does. I can’t imagine thinking that way although I do have a goal to live outside of the US for at least a year while my kids are in school.

After being friends with Maya for a while in high school, she told me about her life in India. She told me about her house and all the people that worked for them in their home. I couldn’t believe my down to earth friend had such a wealthy life in India. I still can’t quite picture what her life is like there.

The most interesting part of our conversation was talking about Maya’s mom Bonnie. Bonnie needs to write a book. I would absolutely LOVE to read it. Ramesh came to Utah to play Tennis for BYU (an LDS school). He is a Hindu but said it wasn’t weird for him to attend BYU because he was raised going to schools sponsored by other religions. Anyway, Bonnie (a Mormon) met Ramesh and they got married. They lived in the US for a few years before going to India. Bonnie (like Maya) is a strong independent personality. When she moved there she learned to dress and fit in but refused to quit some of the things she was used to like driving. At that time the women never drove. Ramesh said he always knew where Bonnie was because all day people would tell him where they saw his wife. She was easy to spot because she was white, blond and a woman behind the wheel of a car. At that time women also didn’t eat in restaurants alone. Ramesh said Bonnie started a trend with women driving and eating in restaurants without their families. Now it’s common. She also has had a lot to do with bringing the Mormon religion to that area. Apparently there are about 200 members in Goa now but when she first moved there I’m pretty sure she would have been the only one because the church gave her permission to start some sort of a church there. Many of the baptisms have taken place in their swimming pool. She has also done a lot of work in an orphanage there. She has faced a lot of opposition. Many of the people there thought she was trying to sell the babies or something when her intentions were only positive. She has done a lot of good for the orphanage there and I remember I used to really love Maya telling me about that.

So much more I could say but I’ll stop now. It was a great conversation. I’m so happy I missed my plane. Maya, I miss you!!!

My second highlight on the trip was hanging out with my friend Kelly. She treated me to dinner at Gibsons. What a TREAT! I don’t like red meat or seafood but I still LOVED my food and she was so much fun to be with. Normally we get together with a lot of friends at this trade show but this time it was fun to have alone time with Kelly.

I love going to explore the cities I go to but I’ve been to Chicago several times now so I didn’t do anything touristy on my time off so I wouldn’t be exhausted at the show. I did have deep dish Chicago style pizza one night though. YUMMMY!

BTW - In case you are curious. I went to Chicago for the CHA show (Craft and Hobby Association). It's a huge trade show. I have a booth at this show twice a year to introduce my products store owners from around the world.

Almost Home

I'm on the airplane waiting to take off. Trying to make it home for part of church. Lots of thoughts going though my head about trying to obey the Sabbath. Elder Oaks talk about "Good Better Best" is going through my mind too. I'll have to share later.

Off to Chicago

I'm off to Chicago for the Craft and Hobby show. Wish me luck! It's a huge trade show. This is where big box stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby have found my products.

If you ever make it to Chicago my favorite thing to do is to take the architectual boat tour. It is such a beautiful ride through the city! Also, I would skip the Sears tower. The museum at the top of the tower was neat but I didn't really think the view was worth the $20 or whatever I had to pay. The BEST view (although I'm not an expert) is in the John Hancock building. There is a bar and restaurant you can take an elevator to, for FREE. The view is gorgeous from there, especially in the women's bathroom. Seriously. You'll just have to try it to believe me.

Flies Welcome Here

Last year Keith saw a Venus Fly Trap at the store. He didn't buy it and came home. A few days later he went back to get the plant but they were all gone. Now he really wanted one and so did the kids. He looked everywhere and couldn't find one for weeks. He finally ordered one and had it shipped to us. We were so anxious for it to catch a fly but it never did.

This year we bought the first Venus Fly Trap we could find and we have already caught two flies! Ha ha. If you look really close at the picture you'll see a dark spot in two of the traps. Actually, it's hard to see but the trap on the far left is one of the two. The other is already starting to open again at the very top.



For any of you with kids sitting on your laps, here is a video you can show them of a Venus Fly Trap at work. One night we spent hours looking up information and videos on carnivorous plants. It was fun for my kids especially my (then) 5 year old. It might be a good thing for some of you with kids too.

Smiling

Yesterday I woke up determined that my grandpa would have an iPhone that day. We found out the Apple store had more iPhones so we hurried down there. After 2 hours my grandpa became the proud new owner of his first iPhone. He was excited and (obviously) so was I. My awesome cousin Madi (visiting from Texas) and my two kids went with us. I brought my kids in their swim suits hoping that they would play in the fountain while Grandpa waited in line but they wouldn't. It's the coolest fountain - and hardly anyone was even there! Here is a picture I found of it on the internet.

After we got the iPhone we did a tiny bit of shopping then ate lunch. We were going to go to the Planetarium but we were too exhausted by that time. Madi, the kids and I went to my other grandparents and went swimming instead. There is nothing like jumping in the pool after a long day in the sun.

Comments

In case you are wondering... to comment on this current blog design I have, you just click on the little quote bubble at the top right of every post. Please think of something to write that will boost my self esteem and post a comment (ha ha... I'm kidding).

ETA: I decided to just add the words "leave a message" next to the bubble, although it's not as cute so I may delete it.

Happy Birthday Stacy!

This card is for Stacy Oaks. Are there any other friends named Stacy with birthdays today?

The card is designed by Deb Perry. It's on my Cards, Announcements and Invitations CD.

Still Under Construction

I'm learning a lot as I experiment with the different blog designs. One day I'll choose a design I like :)

Here is the first design many of you may remember. Personally, I really liked it, but hated how the posts ran together. I also couldn't figure out how to put links at the top. After all of my experimenting I have finally figured out how to do that but I *think* I'll stick with a two column blog instead.

I tried a green design next. I liked it but it was just too bright for me so I changed it to this one you see on the right. I still wasn't happy with it so now I'm working on modifying current design.

We'll see if I can come up with something I like :)

Cute...

While the boys wrestled...

This is kind of a dumb video but I thought it was hilarious that while the boys wrestled, the girls were having a tea party.

I tended my sister's kids today. At one point, when Megan started getting bored, I suggested she dress her baby cousin up in her dress-up clothes. Megan immediately got her pink tutu and a blue necklace for Autumn. She looks so cute in that tutu.

Isn't Autumn the most beautiful name? I've loved it ever since Jr. High when I had a friend named Autumn.



iPhone Update: My grandpa stood in line from 7am to 1pm and did NOT get an iPhone. I felt so bad for him. He did pay for it though and will hopefully get it in just a few days. I'm totally curious if he had anywhere to sit at all during that time. He has a hard time walking more than a half a mile without pain. Hey family: I imagine Grandma is rolling her eyes and laughing at his day today. It makes me smile to think of her doing that. How about you?

I love my iPhone!

I talked my Grandpa Park into getting an iPhone today. I'm SO EXCITED for him to get it. He has had a Blackberry, but the buttons are so small and the navigation just isn't as user friendly as an iPhone. He loves gadgets like this so I know he'll be thrilled with the iPhone. He never did fully figure out his Blackberry so it's fun to know that he'll have the iPhone all figured out in one day. He called me around 8:15 am and said that he is in line and the line is moving. He said it's already moved about 50 yards and he has another 45 yards to go. Geez. He better get one. I'm more excited about him getting one than when I got one which is saying a lot because I LOVE LOVE LOVE my iPhone. I think it's one of the most amazing inventions. My iPhone and my Canon 30D camera are my favorite "things". Some girls like flowers, I like electronics.


I'm not going to get the new upgraded phone yet. I'm totally happy with mine except the new phones are way faster on the internet. One day I'll upgrade but I'll be ok to wait. I bought mine when the price was the highest, back when they were new. It's cool to see the prices coming down so that so many others can get in on the iPhone action.


Look at me advertising for Apple. Where is my paycheck? I still need one from Adobe and Canon as well :)

Still Under Construction

I'm not loving this yet. It's pretty bright. Plus I just threw the top banner on because I had no other ideas. We'll see what happens.

Under Construction

I don't like the way my posts run together so I'm working on changing the template for my blog. I also decided that I want all the links on the side. I'm sad to lose the option of doing the big pictures but.... for now this is what I want.

I'll clean the site up soon.

Our SYTYCD One Day Impulse Trip

Just for fun. Here what my day was like on Monday. If you don't read anything else, read about our crazy adventure to the airport from 6:45 pm on.

4:00 am Wake up

• 4:45 am My mom comes to get me.


• 4:55 am We leave for the airport.


• 6:20 am Our plane leaves for LA. My only luggage is folding chairs although I did put a change of clothes, a folding cooler and make-up in my mom’s bag. Ha! Have you ever seen someone travel on an airplane with folding chairs? No one sat in our row. I LOVE it when that happens.


• 7:20 am (PST) We arrive in LA.


• 8:00 am We get our rental car.


• 9:00 am We arrive at the Santa Monica Pier where we were hoping to eat breakfast. We couldn’t find anything open so we drove decided to drive down the Pacific Coast highway for a while until we found something else.


• 9:45 am We saw a whole bunch of surfers next to a breakfast place so we stopped. I love watching surfing but unfortunately we couldn’t see them from inside the restaurant. We did see a couple guys standing on surf boards with single paddles cruising along the edge of the ocean where the water was fairly smooth. Does anyone know what that’s about? I have never seen that before bit it did look fun.


• 11:00 am We decide to drive down Sunset Blvd on our way to Hollywood. We only drove on the Blvd for a while but it was beautiful.


• 11:30 am We stopped at Ralphs Grocery so we would have some water and food while waiting in line.


• 11:45 am We drove by the beginning of the line. Only one group of four was there so we were excited. They offered to hold our place in line so we left our chairs and cooler there.


• Noon We park a few blocks away and get in line. We were in line with really fun people. We totally enjoyed talking to them.


• 1:30ish My mom says we should be watching the cars go in and out to see who is in them. We saw Alex De Silva (the Salsa choreographer) leaving the lot. It's exciting when you are sitting in line for hours at a time.


• 2:00ish We saw Nigel drive into the lot in a gorgeous blue convertable.


• 3:00 pm We finally got to start going in. There are three types of tickets and although we were second in line our internet tickets put us at the bottom of the food chain. We were nervous watching so many people get in before us but it turned out just fine. The show producers separate the young teenagers from the um… well… older people. The young cute kids get to go in first. If you watch the show you’ll see it appears to be full of teenagers or college kids. We knew that would probably happen so we weren’t upset but others who didn’t know were pretty mad. Most everyone stands but we really wanted to sit so we asked if we could get a seat and we got one! They put us in some of the VERY best seats possible, but then after a few minutes they asked us to stand and move because the ticket holders showed up. By this time all the seats were full and we were so disappointed but the usher moved people around enough that we were able to still have a seat. Actually we had to move THREE times but the usher was nice (maybe because we were nice to him) and always found something for us and made someone else move so we could sit down. Normally I would feel really bad, but between my mom and me we paid $900 to get there so I didn’t feel too bad. Our permanent seats were on the very back row but we didn’t mind. It’s the equivalent of the 20th row or something like that. We could see everything GREAT! The lady that sat by us was a lot of fun. Everyone we met and talked to that day was so nice to us which made the trip even better.


• 4:30 pm The show started. At least I think this is when the show started. Wahoo! Lots of energy in that room. Because the show isn’t live there were plenty of start and stops. However, the dancers never got a second chance to do anything and the judges and host didn’t change much of what they said. The only exceptions were when the microphone didn’t pick up the hosts' voice very well and one time when Mia Michaels said “retarded”. Nigel told her that people would get offended with that word and I AGREE!!! I hate that word and it makes me upset when people use it loosely so thank you Nigel!


• 6:45 pm We knew the day before we came there was a good chance we wouldn’t make our flight home but around this time we started thinking we might. We thought about leaving early but wanted to see the last dances so we stayed thinking we would hurry as fast as we could later.


• 7:00 pm We decided we would not even try to make it to the airport because our chances were so slim.


• 7:10 pm We decided to try for the airport again. The last dance just ended but as we tried to get out they wouldn’t let us. We had to wait a couple more minutes.


• 7:15 pm After singing Happy Birthday to Nigel (which was fun) we were allowed to leave. We walked as fast as we could about 3 or 4 blocks to our car, up to the third level and clear across the parking garage. My mom drove and I quickly set up the GPS.


• 7:50 pm We got to the rental car place. We called early and they assured us that they would have a shuttle waiting for us to go to the airport but they didn’t and no one seemed to have any desire to help us leave quickly even though most weren’t doing anything.


• 8:05 pm We FINALLY leave the rental car place. We thought for sure we would miss our plane and we were bummed because now we didn’t have a car. The driver was sweet. She acted really worried for us and really wanted us to make our flight. That made us calm down and we realized it didn’t matter either way.


• 8:15 pm We got to the airport but our plane was supposed to leave in TWENTY minutes and we didn't even have our boarding passes. As we ran, I lost my shoe, it fell off and flew towards a door. Ha ha. I survived. We didn’t have our boarding passes but fortunately no one was in line and we quickly got them. We ran towards security and there was barely a line. Wahoo! We got through and ran towards our gate. I got out of security before my mom so I ran ahead and we both MADE IT!!!!!


• 8:20 pm We sat down in the nearly empty airplane on the very front row. I couldn’t believe the time when I saw it. We actually made it 15 minutes before the plane was scheduled to leave! Unbelievable. My mom is a good luck charm for sure. 11:15 pm We arrived safe and sound in SLC. Tired but totally happy. Excited that we had such a fun adventure.

Highlights from the show:

• I loved seeing the studio. It is just as cool in real life.


• I loved feeling the music as the dancers danced.


• I loved all the lights. Oh how I wish they would have allowed cameras. I would LOVE to try taking pictures with all the cool lights in the studio. There was a photographer there with a lens about 2 feet long. How do you think I could be his assistant for the day?


• Kourtni was there (she was voted off last week). She was my favorite dancer in auditions but I do like the other dancers more now so I'm ok with her leaving. I never said anything to her even though she was sitting in my section but I hope a lot of others did. When the dancers saw her they seemed happy to see her.


• Many or all of the dancers seemed to really like each other even off camera. That's what I would expect but it was fun to see.


• My favorite dance was probably the last one with Joshua and Katee. They danced a Baliwood number. It was fun. I also really liked the Safari one with Courtney and Gev but the judges didn't. It will be interesting to watch it again and see if I just liked the choreography or if I really thought they did a good job. I can't remember. Tell me what you think about it when you see it.


• All the dancers were amazing in my opinion. The one thing you don't see on TV is that when they are doing some of their hardest tricks, a camera man will jump up on stage and get only a couple feet from them. Can you imagine doing your hardest trick and having to do it with a giant camera running into your space? The camera crew must practice with the dancers because it all worked out just fine, although I tensed up each time they ran on stage.


• I can't think of any dances I didn't like this week.


• The part where the judges critique the dancers feels much less real in person. I don't mean to say it's not real but it feels a lot different watching it live. In person it's clear everything is a job and everything is done for the purpose of making money. Watching it on TV - it's easy to get caught up in the emotion of it all. The producers and TV crew really do an amazing job with what they do.


• When the judges look over at the choreographers they aren't really looking at them all the time. That's a bit staged because they can't always see them.

It was fun. If you read all or even a fraction of this post you are awesome. It was fun to write but I can't imagine it is a ton of fun to read. You most likely won't see us on TV tonight because we were in the back row but there is a tiny chance you'll see me towards the beginning when I had to sit in someone else's seat while they went to the bathroom. They wanted the seats to look packed.

Pass the Torch!

As we prepare for the big "Olympic Games" digital scrapbook contest we thought it would be fun to have a torch relay. Help me pass this torch. Take this torch and put it on your blog. You can be entered into a drawing for one of THIRTY $25 Digital Scrapbook CDs we are giving away. Read more at DigitalScrapbookMemories.com.

By the way... if there are any SYTYCD fans reading this. I'll post about my crazy day in LA tonight or tomorrow.

Luke can swim!!!

Last week we went swimming at my grandma's pool and Luke started treading water. I was so excited. Yesterday we went again and he swam all the way across the pool because his dad dared him to. It was only about 15-20 feet but I'm still EXTREMELY proud of him! Luke didn't think he could do it but he did. I'm so excited! I have been anxiously awaiting this day for a couple years now :)

Good bye green arm floats!

So Excited!

I'm so excited!!! Thursday I got tickets for the show, So You Think You Can Dance. Friday, I bought tickets to LA. Monday I fly out, watch the show (it's pre-taped), then fly back. Yes, all in the same day. I'm going with my mom. We both love the show and fortunately she is crazy enough to go with me. I've only told a couple people but their response is always, "I didn't know you were such a fan". Ha ha. Yes, I am definitely a fan but I still wouldn't classify myself that way. To me, this is as neat of a performance as a Broadway show. The talent on this show is incredible and I am so excited to be able to see it live.

I'm so weird with money. We need towels, underwear and blinds but I can't stand to pay the money for them so I don't. However, $500 for a single, one day trip to LA doesn't bother me a bit. Paying money for entertainment never bothers me. I love getting out. Keith is the complete opposite but he is SO NICE this time and didn't even hesitate to tell me I could go. I couldn't believe it. Since he is being so nice I'm going to have a much better time because I won't feel guilty.

Click on the links below to see a couple of my favorite dances from the show:

Katee and Joshua - My favorite dance from this season so far! These two are also my favorite dancers in the competition. They both seem so humble and nice and I've been extremely impressed with everything they've danced except the West Coast Swing, which they did ok with. It's hard to compare after watching Benji, Lacey and Heidi who are masters at that form of dance.

So, the whole idea behind the show is it takes really amazing dancers and has them learn all sorts of types of dance. For example Joshua is a hip hop dancer yet he has to learn contemporary, ballroom, etc. etc. It's amazing to think a hip hop dancer can learn to do this with his legs and hips in such a short time!

Travis and Heidi - One of the most memorable dances from season 2. FYI - the actual dance is from 1:35 to about 3:00 on the video.

I first heard about Imogen Heap from this show. I LOVE her music. It's amazing. Here are two dances to her songs. These dances are a little weird but I still enjoy them and the music is incredible! Group Dance 1 Group Dance 2

Here is another fun dance from my favorite season (2). The actual dance is from about 1:15 to 2:40 if you want to skip forward.

Happy Birthday America!

I'm so grateful to live in a country where I have so many opportunities and freedoms. I hope you all had a nice holiday!

I'm Excited!

More info here.

Give me a link

Link me to your favorite blog posts from the past. I would love to read them from all of you (strangers, friends and family). Put the links in my comments section. If the links you put in my comments aren't active (as in you can't click on them and automatically) I'll start a new post with all of the links later.

Also, I have a question for you. Do you get e-mailed each time there is a new comment on your blog? I always wonder if people see my comments when I post on super old posts. I get e-mailed with new posts so I'll see your links even if it's a year from now.

Doom of Danger and Other Art

The Lego art piece on the left is titled, "Doom of Danger". You have to say it with a scary voice. Ha ha. Can you tell she has an older brother?

All of the other works of art were created in Photoshop. All of the sudden Meg has started paying attention to detail and has been creating with specific designs in mind. It's so much fun to see what she comes up with. She is definitely going to be my little scrapbook buddy one day!! Yay!

These Photoshop creations are actually more impressive than they first appear. I gave her a blank canvas to work with but she was able to do the rest on her own. This required choosing a brush and changing the size a couple times for each design. I was really surprised how uniform each design was because she had to reset the brush size each time she used it. It's cute to see her go from brush, to paint bucket, to the color swatches and on. If a (barely) four year old can use Photoshop don't tell me you can't! Sometimes I think I should bring my kids to my classes and have them create in front of everyone so that people know that Photoshop really isn't that hard once you figure out where things are.

Speaking of desiging... she is constantly coming up with new hair designs for me to do with her hair and she loves to choose her clothes. She comes up with some crazy ideas. I'll have to share those another time.

A Favorite Birthday Party Idea

I've shared this with some of you before, but I love this idea and wanted to share it with others. A couple years ago for my little boys birthday, I took a picture of him dressed up like a pirate, blew the picture up, and laminated it for a Pin the Tail on the Donkey kind of a game. I bought lots of extra eye patches rather than cutting them out of paper. It was really fun and I think my little boy liked the attention.

You could do this for any type of a theme party. For example, if you are doing a princess party you could use any cute picture of your little girl in a princess type dress then have the girls try to pin crowns on her head.

My CDs have all sorts of fun things for you to use to decorate the poster too. I would suggest making the invitations match the poster. It will save you time and be super cute.