Let me tell you a story...

...about a boy and his dog.

Yesterday while I carried on a telephone conversation with a certain Mrs. Carter, I was interrupted several times by a whining 4 year old. "Mom, Mom, what can I do now?" and "Mom, Mom, I am sooooo bored" were comments that disrupted my daily phone chat. Oh! I was so bothered by this pint sized whimperer of a boy. "Henry," with finality in my voice I issued, "I am on the phone right now. GO play with the dog!" And off he went, sensing he had lost his battle, to find our sometimes mentally slow black lab. Welcoming silence at last, I continued on with my book discussion with Mrs. Carter. Henry crawled around on his hands and knees, pausing every now and then to wiggle his rear end and utter a soft bark into the air. How sweet, Henry was pretending to be a puppy. Oh! I do like that much better than his constant whining plaguing my phone conversations. I watched as Bubba (the slow overgrown lab) and Henry (my 4 year old lab in training) pranced and trotted around the dining room in great joy of boy and his dog fun. I felt such contentment watching whining-free Henry while I discussed the latest book I had read with Mrs. Carter.

Then, without warning, Henry angled his pretend puppy body around to the rear side of Bubba
and began to take short sniffing bursts at Bubba's poop shoot! UGH...Henry was sniffing Bubba's rear end. Without even considering I was still on the phone with a certain Mrs. Carter I screeched, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Henry looking like an innocent dog's bum sniffer, looked up, barked a small dog's bark, and sweetly said, "Mom, I'm a dog right now. Remember, you told me to play with the dog." And then he added, (because it was clear to him that I didn't already know this) "Mom, this is what dog's do!"
I love this shot! Actually I love the one above and the one below. I just think Henry is so handsome! And the shot below really captures how Bubba follows the boys around...like he is one of them.

Glenn Beck on LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley

Check this out, It really lightened my day and made me feel warm and fuzzy inside...I hope it does the same for you!

The Problem with moving...

...is you meet such wonderful people and then you have to say goodbye, and not just, "goodbye, I will see you later," but "goodbye, we might never see each other again and hang out like we used to." In that sense, it is almost like part of you dies when you move away. Eventhough when I loved living in Hawaii, I often felt sad like part of me was missing...part of me left in Utah. But now that we live here in Utah, I feel that same loss for Hawaii. I feel almost incomplete without my daily dealings with the beauty there, the rich culture, and especially my dear friends. When I lived in Hawaii I came across many awe-inspiring and unique individuals, and people that I feel as close to as family. This is my blog today to let you all know, that even though it is freezing-butt cold here in Utah and I miss the welcoming sun of Hawaii, I miss you all more! This next picture is my favorte shot of Miss Carol...such a funny funny lady...and very flexible!
Jackie, the beauty in red and white stripes will always be remebered by my boys for teaching them that "broccoli gives you stinky farts!"There is no better picture that could capture my bro-in-law: JASE!Rachel...my sister who stole my sweet baby girls from me and is raising them as her own...hahaha

Monday's Fit Tip Mania:

Tip of the Day...Pray!
Studies show that people who believe in a higher power and call upon that power daily to help them through the day are healthier and feel happier. So by praying, not only will you receive spiritual help for the trials you are facing, but you will have your own internal support to work toward your goals.

I have found in my own life, that if I roll out of bed and land on my knees to pray, then my day goes smoother. I have goals that I work towards, and some days just seem to defeat all my efforts. It is then that I realize that I probably didn't take time to have a true heartfelt prayer with my Heavenly Father. Today I rolled out onto my knees and after praying, felt impressed to send out this tip today. I hope that this simple tip helps you along in your fitness goals and in all your life's pursuit of goals!

I also wanted to end this blog of the day by commemorating President Gordon B. Hinckley, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He passed away yesterday on the Sabbath. I am sure all who knew him and all who follow his teachings are saddened by this. I know that my life has been enriched to learn from him and to know that he truly was a man of God.

I Love Weddings

On Saturday, I shot a wedding for wonderful family friends and then bridals for a beautiful couple. Since being inspired by Natalie, my photo-tastic picture taking friend, I played around with natural light more in these two shoots. The first two shots are not the same, I promise, just look close, I was playing around with angles.
These second two pictures were from the bridal shoot. The first picture was actually taken in the women's restroom at the Provo Academy Libray. During the shoot I needed to relieve myself and after entering the very clean restroom I fell in love with the great white deep window...so I convinced the bride, the groom, her mom, her sister, and my sister-in-law to follow me in for a picture-taking bathroom adventure.

This next one is my favorite shot of the day...so candid, he was leaning in to whisper something in her ear and I quickly snapped a shot!

did you know...

10 years ago...

I had just moved back to my parent’s home, after living in Hawaii, and then Provo. I was in the middle of the toughest semester, 21 credit hours of all 300 level classes, and I was dating a wrestler who only ever wanted to wrestle…go figure…

5 things on my to do list today...
1. Update my blog
2. Stay home from church and take care of the sickies (the bear and the hot rod)
3. Respond to a week of emails
4. Hunt down Celia and read her book
5. Eat dinner at mom’s

Snacks I enjoy...
CANDY

What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire...
GO SHOPPING…oh, and then after much thought…
Give 10% to tithing, pay off all my debts, support my family and then explore each continent.

3 of my bad habits...
1. Reading all day long so that my children and husband have to fend for themselves
2. Falling in-love with exciting new things to do with my life…I’m a hobbyist.
3. CANDY

5 places I have lived...
1. Utah
2. California
3. Washington
4. Hawaii

5. England

5 jobs I have had...

1. Personal Assistant
2. Fitness Trainer/Instructor

3. Concession’s Girl at the Theater

4. Non-Alcoholic Bartender
5. Librarian’s Assistant

Things people don't know about me...

If you have read my blog, I am sure that there is not a lot, since I tend to spew from the keyboard, but one thing most people don’t know about me is I have a dreaded fear of aquarium fish…by the way, thanks Natalie for giving my boys fish for their birthdays two years ago…I am just now recovering.

Now, yes, this was a tag, sent to me by 'slacker mom', but if you want to follow suit, please cut and paste the categories on your blog, and share a little more about yourself.

Book Tip:

Don't spend your time reading lame, boring, crappy books.

Tip #2: I just finished two great books, that were recommended to me by a dear friend, celia. These books both turned out to be 5 out of 5 stars and I couldn't put them down.

Book 1: Before Midnight 'A Retelling of Cinderella' by Cameron Dokey

This book is full of suspense and intrigue. At 2-3 hours, this book is definitely a quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed the play on the original Cinderella story and the authors addition of main characters. You will not be disappointed with this novel.

Book 2: The Burning Within by Ranelle Wallace

This book is a true story, written by the woman who endured through all the trials mentioned in the novel. This is not a 'drag you down', 'make you feel depressed' type of novel. No, it is the opposite. After reading the novel, I felt inspired to write my new year's 'to be's'. I enjoyed how the author led up to each event, sharing personal history and reflection. I was drawn to this story and could not put it down. This book is a must read!

Isn't He Lovely...

I have been pestering my dear friend for the last 5 months to take pictures of her newborn baby. These pictures were taken before Connor (the sweet baby) turned 1 day old. I love how puffy he is...babies change so quickly after they are born, that it was amazing to catch a shot of him this early. In fact, the hospital room was poorly lit, and I was very unsatisfied with the first 100 pictures I even took. Then as I was about to give up and suggest we try again another day, I realized that the blinds over the window could be opened! My friend carried her baby and sat closer to the window so I could use some of the natural sunlight to highlight the star of the shoot. If you would like to find out more information about lighting or photography, check out a great blog by an amazing photographer: Natalie Norton!

LOVE TO READ!

I feel like one of those library posters that feature a hip (if you're in 1989) looking adolescent, posed casually with a book in hand, smiling effortlessly with a 'you'll be cool like me' expression, that posts the message: READ. Hopefully I have discarded anything I wore in 1989; consequently, this purpose of this blog is intended to lure you into my reading circle...

Checkout my reading list on Goodreads - where you can see what your friends are reading.
http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDYzMDE0MzM6MzEz%0A

(The following is to be read in cheesy infomercial middle aged man voice)
If you sign up, you can offer your perspective on what you have read, and see what good books are out there. What I hate most is to get 1/2 way through a book, only to be disappointed and lack the will to continue to the end. Now with this website, those days are gone. Now you will have the opportunity to pick up a book and be 90% sure that it wont suck! Just think, signing up is merely a click away. You are a click away from bringing book excitement into your life.

I Love...

Happiness is...

MONDAY'S FIT TIP Mania!!!

Yes, I have taken my own advice, and I have been braving the cold to take long strides up the hill side. I have coupled that with a 30 minute jog around town. Unfortunately, another battle you have to fight when the temperatures drop is the flux of sickness all around. I was hit by the BUG. You know, the nasty stuffed nasal cavity, hacking cough, odd uncomfortableness BUG! Feeling down, I took it pretty easy last week, but felt renewed over the weekend as my BUG took holiday and I felt a rush of un-sick energy. Last night I mentally prepped myself to wake up, wrap up in warm clothes and begin my walk/run around town.
WEATHER ALERT: Almost a foot of snow dropped in my town, around my house, and on the streets that I have longed to walk/run on. Which unequivocally means...FITNESS PLAN RUINED!
Ugh, Don't we hate it when we finally have the will power to go out and do something about our physical state and nature steps in the way? Don't let nature's snow dumping get you down, here is a list of activities you can do indoors or out in the snow to heat up your heart rate. Stay on track when it's the hardest, and you will find that it is routine to get moving when sunny skies are out.

Turn your home into a circuit training course, and let each room challenge you physically. Keep a timer on your watch, or close by and time each station for 2 minutes. For Intermediate levels to Advanced, repeat this workout 2 or 3 times.

DINING ROOM-hold onto a chair and preform tri-cep dips

KITCHEN-Hold onto the counter and preform a rear straight leg lift to target your glutes and hamstrings! Do a set of 40 on each leg.

STAIRS-Run up and down for cardio and for extra exertion, take them two at a time going up!

LIVING ROOM-Lunge from one side of the room to the other alternating legs

BATH ROOM-Squat in front of the toilet. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and squat until your toosh barely touches the toilet seat, return to a standing position slowly and be sure to squeeze the glutes tight on your way up!

BEDROOM- Use your bed as a way to gage your jumps. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, bend your knees and jump as high as you can. As you jump, tuck your knees up and try to get your jump as high as your bed is. Bring the knees down and keep them unlocked as you try to land as soft as you can on your feet. These plyometric jumps will really kick up your intensity levels, but keep at it.

Work this workout a few times and you will be a fan of snowed in, rained in or just bad weather days. Keep up your fitness and you will attain your fitness goals. Check back in here every Monday for a new Manic Monday Fitness Routine...Until then, WORK YOUR WORKOUT!

Life Cycle

On Friday, we attended a wedding reception and a good friend of mine had a baby. Within 24 hours, I got to take pictures of these two major life events. Here were my two favorite highlights from the reception: Shoes and Food!


This sweet baby is the 6th in his family. After being 9 days over due, this precious thing finally made his way into the world. I promised her that I wouldn't show his picture on my blog until she showed him on hers, so here are my obscure feet pictures of this baby bundle! Ok, I just sent off an email to my friend of pictures, so this picture shows a little more of what this sweet baby looks like, but the focus is still his feet...I LOVE FEET!

So he said to me...

"See my hair mom? I did it all by myself. Yah, I just took some of your gel and made it this way."
"oh, is that how you do it?"
"Yah, see you don't know how, I do!"
So according to the opinion of a four year old, I have completely no fashion sense, considering I don't spike my hair with gel...

Gone...gone, are my glory days where I was the fashionista...

Teddy...my BEAR.

Teddy is a bear because...





1. ...he eats more than George or Henry, and sometimes more than both of them combined.


2. ...he raises his hands in the air and then full body slams you with his little baby body.


3. ...he drools, and foams from the mouth constantly


4. ...he trys to give you big open mouth kisses from his wide open, drooly, foamy mouth.


5. ...he loves to cuddle!





I love my little Teddy Bear!

Tammy's Tummy.

Isn't she radient? I loved taking pictures of my dear pregnant friend, here are a few from the shoot...

Monday's FITNESS MANIA

Shout Hooray, Today is the Day! It's MONDAY, the get fit day. So how did you do last week on your renewed fitness goals? If you had some set backs, shrug them off this week and this week focus your attention and energy on DETOX! This is the week to become in tune with who you are and to feel darn good about that. Sometimes I feel pretty good about my wide flat feet and my ghetto bootie, but there are other times that I fret over my oddly thin and limp hair, or my bulging knee pudge. But, when I think about the many things I am grateful for, all those inconsequential annoyances fade away.

Physical / Mental / Spiritual Fitness:
This week add to your daily fitness an extra 5-10 minutes of slow, peaceful stretching and meditation. Add stretches for your lower back and upper back and slow them down. TAKE YOUR TIME and as you stretch, think of what you are grateful for. Try a light relaxing yoga and focus your mind on how many things you can be grateful for. You will feel excellent at the end of this extension of your work out, you will feel like a NEW YOU!

Bubba.

Finally, after three long stench filled months, Bubba got bathed. Mark did the honors of the wash down and I took care of the drying and grooming. What a beauty!

FANTASTIC FRIday

Today is FRIDAY!!! Who doesn't love a Friday? The pressure of the work week has subsided. You can sit back and relax a little, spend time thinking about what you're going to do over the weekend. If you live in Hawaii you can leave work at three...hahahahaha...

I love today because:

1. I woke up

2. I have two legs to walk up the mountain today

3. I have a sore rear end from yesterday's walk up the mountain

4. I have two arms to pick up my teddy when he is destroying my organized cupboards

5. my 'big' boys, who woke up before me, were making their beds when I went in their room!

6. I have a home I love because it is sparkly (mostly my counter tops, nonetheless, SPARKLY)

7. there is a huge pine tree outside of my office window, where an obese blue bird perches and squawks at all the other minion birds
8. there was a hilarious, yet uplifting email waiting for me this morning in my inbox.

9. my middle son cleaned, scoured, and organized his bedroom for...AN ERASER!

10. my camera works and is waiting for me to point and shoot.

11. my shadow dog follows me around too closely that he bangs into me if I stop too fast

12. I have great yummy chicken long rice left-overs in the fridge to devour

13. I don't have to shower today if I don't want to.

14. I think my pregnant friend will finally give birth today...thus I can have newborn pics!

15. I thought I was out of minutes on my cell phone, keeping each call very brief, only to find out I had 600 more minutes of ROLLOVER!


It is a fabulous, fantastic, sometimes freaky Friday, so you tell me what you are grateful for...

Tasty Tip

I finally ventured out into the freezing Arctic winter of Utah. After two weeks of home bound solitude, Mark and I perused the Walmart for odds and ends. And what glorious treat did we behold? Strawberry flavored marshmallows! What a yummy delight.
Note: To make strawberry rice krispi treats, you melt 1/2 a cube of butter and 10-12 ounces of strawberry marshmallows then stir in as much rice krispis as you want until you reach your desired consistency...then DEVOUR!

bubba.

bubba bounds blisfully by the barren bushes...

Monday's Fit Tip MANIA!

DISCLAIMER:

Unless something dramatically hysterical happens in my life and I feel compelled to share it in cyber world, I have dedicated Monday's to Fitness: Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually. I have been asked by a few different friends/readers of this blog to post 'fitness' ideas and programs. Since I have worked for the last 10 years as a Fitness Instructor / Personal Trainer at many different establishments, and I am certified in Aerobics, Step Aerobics, Circuit Training, Kick Boxing, Yoga, Personal Training and Basic Nutrition, I feel that I might be somewhat qualified to offer tidbits and advice. If you disagree, I fully accept that and don't mind if you decide not to read my blog on Mondays.

Monday's Fit Tip Mania

BE PHYSICAL
Many people choose not to work out because they believe that it would take an immense amount of effort and time. Not True! Any added physical exertion in your daily routine would boost your feeling of well being and burn a few extra calories. The tip for this week is to keep your diet the same and only add 10 minutes of movement each day. Move however you want, just make sure you are moving enough to escalate your breathing and to feel exertion. Great 10 minute workouts this week are listed below.


1. Find your personal Stair Master. Walk up your stairs and down your stairs 10 times, and jog in place for 60 seconds (repeat if necessary).

2. Drop and Give me 50 (or what ever you can do) Push Ups are a great friend for working a large majority of your upper body muscles and stabilizers. Not only are you strengthening your core, but your pectorals (chest), biceps, triceps, deltoids, and even the many muscles that comprise your back will feel this burn. If you have extra time left in your 10 minutes, jump up and take lengthening lunges around your home to give your lower body a boost too!

3. Baby It's Cold Outside so bundle up and take a walk up the closest hill. Walk as fast as you can up the hill and coast down. You will love the 'after burn' on the walk down as your breathing returns to normal but your body wont be so cold now that your internal heater has kicked on.

4. Dance Dance Revolution. All the kids are doing it so you can too! Pop in some great tunes and dance like a maniac around the front room until you feel like a complete nutzo! Even though you might feel like you have lost a few marbles, be thrilled that that is not the only thing you are losing!


BE THOUGHTFUL
For your mental health this week, think about someone else. When you spend time thinking of others and finding ways you can be helpful, be kind, and be of need, you spend less time feeling down about yourself. Who do you know that could use a friendly call or a visit? Do something nice and needed for someone you know and you will feel better all around!


BE SPIRITUAL
For your spiritual health this week take a blessings check. At the end of each day sit in a comfortable quiet place and think of the many things in your life you are grateful for. From your loving, wonderful family to the fact that you still have hands to change that beastly awful, blowout diaper that your son found 2 minutes before you and smeared his hands through, remember all your many blessings. At the end of this meditation or prayer, you will feel a renewal of joy in your life!

Conversation of the day

I recently walked in on George and Henry having a slightly heated discussion over the placement of magnets on their magnet/white board. They were intensely trying to create a magnet looking being that they could pretend was a bionicle or a robot. The conversation escalated as, I could see, they didn't quite understand each other's intentions on the placement of the scattered magnets. At one point, George was so frustrated with Henry that he raised his hands in the air and pleaded, "what are you talking about? what are you talking about? What are you talking about?" Henry (the younger of the two) put a quick end to George's questions by raising his voice over George's and saying, "What the HE!! are you talking about?" To this, I immediately changed my silent observing position to intervening mother position, stood over the two and said in a slow, low voice, so they heard me very clearly, "What did you just say?" Flooded with uncertainty, Henry mumbled under his shamed breath, "umm...what the", and in an even quieter tone,"hell are you talking about?"

I quickly stamped out that verbal mishap by explaining the difference between naughty words and good words. Henry nodded his head in embarrassed understanding and he and George quickly scattered away.

May your day be as colorfully entertaining as mine was...

Meet Bubba

Bubba is our adoring, but beastly, black Labrador who follows me around incessantly and genuinely thinks he is a lap dog. After we purchased our home, we were taking our first load of debris to the dump when I saw a sign for the animal shelter and was compelled to stop. I fell in love with Bubba at first sight. Not only was he the only dog that was jumping up and down frantically as if to say, "pick me, pick me, free me from this #@$! hole," but when I approached him and told him to sit, he obeyed. A week later he rode home on the lap of a good friend, while Mark, in the driver's seat, maneuvered the truck to our house. Since then, if I sit down on the couch or on my bed, he immediately jumps up and tries to plant his black behind on my lap, succeeding most of the time because he is quite large and quite heavy...too heavy to push off. So, there you have it, my ginormously large lap dog: Bubba!

Free an animal from your local shelter today!

New Year...New Rules...

I am sitting in the family room of my parent's home, finishing off my second diet Pepsi and the last 1/4 of cheese ball, wiping my mouth of Ritz crumbs and scanning the room for New Year's Eve sweet and salty left overs. In a food crazed daze, a fleeting thought passed through my consciousness like a kite trying to stay afloat on a windless day. I thought to myself, "I always write New Years Goals, and they seem to be so specific to things I want to do, places I want to go and to do's I need to check off my list." I am not sure if I do this because I see so many others dutifully creating their New Year's Resolutions or if I have simply acquired this yearly action to keep my life in check. Either way, as I sat, enjoying my wild, and sometimes beastly boys, caring husband, and Internet wise mother, my kite of thought plummeted and I was struck with an epiphany, a certain clarity of conscious thought. This year there will be no "To do's" and no "must see or accomplish" items to check off. This year instead of moving my physical body around from place to place and from event to event to check off an ego satisfying list of tasks, I decided to make my list about what I want to grow as a person and be a better member of my family, my society, my life, and the world I live in.



THIS YEAR...

...my husband will know everyday that I love him, even when I disagree with him, I still adore him, love him and devote my life to him and our marriage.

...I want to be the positive light and support for my husband when he is feeling down.

...my boys will know that reading with Mommy is so much more fun than watching movie after movie.

...I want to immerse myself in the crazy, wild, laughter filled lives of my three adoring boys and not get frustrated with the boys wrecking my just cleaned home and pristinely made beds.

...my friends to always feel welcomed and loved when they are by me and know that I cherish them.

...I want to serve my friends in times of need, or simply when they want to remodel, tear down, or re-create their homes, or when they feel a photo shoot feverish desire.

...those in need to know that If I can, I will do what I can to help, serve, and provide for them.

...I want to fulfill my callings in life to the fullest so that I know, others know, and most importantly, my Heavenly Father knows, I can be counted on to answer the call to serve.

...my family will know that they can depend on me for help, support, love and laughter.

...I want to take care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually so everything I desire this year, I can have the ability to achieve...

...most importantly, I want to always remember that everyday I need to have unmovable faith in my Savior and my Heavenly Father to achieve all that I want above.

So much for goals, this is a new year, I am a new me...with lots of older me experience...and I challenge you to decide what you want this year and set forth on that path!!!