2 CUTE 2 BE 4-GOTTEN!

Two months have gone by Ruby. Can you even believe it? You have grown so fast, I love it, and I am a little sad to see it too...maybe you will understand that too one day.

I love you...mommy.

Hammerstad Family...and Sister Jamie

Thanks Nick, Emily, Isaiah, and Jaime for the great shots. You were so much fun to work with. Luv, erin

The first two shots were of Nick and his wife Emily and the darling son Isaiah! The last few pictures are brother and sister shots. I love them.

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT AT HOME!!!

Why not start the new year out with a bang. I have been saying I am going to potty train Teddy, so why not start today. And while I am at it, I am going to start the day out right with a kick butt workout.

OR...

I really did have good intentions on starting the new year out on track, as in, workout, come home, potty train Teddy, clean up from Christmas, la di da...continue on with a perfect new year. OHHHHHH I was wrong, SO WRONG!

Mark kissed me goodbye and left for work. I snuggled into bed a little deeper, closed my eyes, and was jarred out of my comfort zone by George's wailings from downstairs. "MOMMMMMM!" he moaned in between sounds of erupting VOMIT! I jumped out of bed, pulled my sweats on and rushed downstairs. I ushered him into the bathroom, and directed him to puke in the toilet. His sounds woke Teddy, and Teddy started crying from across the hall. I opened Teddy's door, pull him out of his crib and pulled off his diaper. (Mistake #1) I paused after I took off his diaper as I struggled on whether I should potty train him today or push it off till tomorrow. Teddy took my pause as his free reign and took of butt naked down the hall. I chased after him, pinned him down and tried to plaster a diaper to his nakedness...to this he refused. FINE, I will potty train today.

George moaned from the bathroom and I heard a knock at the door. Dangit! I forgot Tonja was coming over to finish going over the photography school curriculum (details to come). I let Tonja in, took naked butt Teddy to sit on the potty chair, and raced down stairs to clean up the remaining puke. All Clear, I sat down with Tonja and started our meeting (Mistake #2). Teddy seemed fine, so I let him watch a show.

"Mommmmm," Henry called, "Teddy just peed".

I jumped up from my meeting, grabbed naked peed butt Teddy and took him back to the potty chair. (Mistake #3) I had a bright I idea, I would give him something to drink! I ran into the kitchen, made a gallon of orange juice and took a sippy cup back to naked butt Teddy who sat on the potty chair. I ran back into the meeting with Tonja. DRIP, DRIP, DRIP. Awww, could it be potty in the potty chair? NO, Teddy managed to chew off the lid of the sippy cup and spill OJ all over the potty chair and bathroom floor. I pulled Teddy of the chair and cleaned up the bathroom, then (prompted from george's screams) ran downstairs to see what George's deal was, urged him again to puke in the toilet, and then ran upstairs again. I sat down, and jumped up within seconds to hear a gush of water. What in the world?!?! (BIGGEST MISTAKE #4) I had left Teddy alone.

I ran into the kitchen to see where the gushing waterfall was coming from and found the entire gallon of OJ on my kitchen floor, dining room floor, and counter tops. Teddy sat in the middle of it all grinning from ear to ear...oh, and right under him was a puddle of non-OJ colored liquid. I raced to the hall closet pulled out paper towels, and unloaded them on the OJ. I soaked it up, mopped it up, dried it up and cleaned it up, and the put Teddy back on the potty chair. At this point I heard baby Ruby screaming in the next room over. I picked her up to find gooey ooey baby poop all over her and my bed. I peeled off her saturated diaper, changed her and sat down to feed her as Henry calls from the other room,

"MOMMMMMM! Teddy peed again."

In case you were wondering, I didn't make it to the gym today to work out...for that matter, I haven't brushed my teeth, combed my hair, or changed for the day yet.

30 years Oooooooooold!

Since it is my birthday, my only request is that you leave me a comment, a blurp, a tidbit of advice, whatever it is, just leave your mark on my blog today. So all of the blog stalkers out there, or the faithful commenters, PLEASE grant me this one wish and leave me something to mark this moment in my life.

Having shamelessly begged for your comment, I will now leave my "I am 30 years old, I am trying hard not to sulk about feeling old, so here is my best attempt" Post.

Those of you who know me well, know that I often have a 'to do' list, an agenda for the day, week, or month. Here is my agenda for the year...to be completed in any order.

1. Drop 16 pounds of left over baby weight
2. Run 1/2 marathon with Mark
3. Drive up to Washington and take pictures of the Hammerstads
4. Buy the 70-200 2.8 Nikkor lens
5. Read with George, Henry, and Teddy everyday
6. Go back to School (wink wink peggy)
7. Landscape my backyard
8. Create a patio for the backyard
9. Have a great spring yardsale
10. Have an even better late summer yardsale
11. Start teaching at the Photography School
12. Be a good friend to my friends
13. Help when I am asked
14. Always have time for Mark
15. Earn enough money to buy a new computer
16. Go to the Aerobic convention in Colorado
17. Make a Christmas Quilt for me this year
18. Go to Chicago and see WICKED
19. Plant a better garden this year...one that lives
20. Enjoy the bulbs I planted in the fall
21. Disneyland?!?
22. Visit the Weavers in Washington
23. Take a trip to the Grand Canyon
24. Walk out over the glass bridge in the Grand Canyon
25. Keep teaching Aerobics
26. Run, run...and more running (hopefully with a mp3 player of some sort)
27. Keep my blog updated 4-5 times a week
28. Take beautiful pictures of people
29. Train Bubba to stop jumping on everyone and everything
30. BE A BETTER PERSON!

There you have it, my to-do list for the year.

PLEASE COME TO MY PARTY!!!

WORD UP!!! Mark, my totally awesome and fabuloso dancin' hubby is throwing me a NEW YEAR'S EVE BIRTHDAY DANCE BASH to celebrate my turning the big 30! Since we are doing this last minute, I wanted to send word out through my blog to let you know you are all invited.

If you are going to be in Utah for New Year's Eve, then I want you to come BOOGIE DOWN at my 30TH BIRTHDAY NEW YEAR'S EVE BASH!

WHEN: NEW YEAR'S EVE
WHERE: The lds Church by my house (email me at erinsummerill(at)hotmail.com for specific directions...I am leaving out exact directions for safety precautions)
WHAT: The best dance party ever.
WHO: You, your friends, your family, your kids. Everyone is invited to come!

Please: If you come I would love for you to bring a great appetizer or dessert to share!

The party will be DJ'd by DJ Beau "P Diddy" Diamond! Check out their awesome Party Site: http://diamondproductionsdba.com

The above pictures are from Diamond audio's most recent bash...ARE YOU AS EXCITED AS I AM TO ROCK OUT? If you have a song you want to request, put it in the comment section and I will make sure it gets played at the party.

ASK THE AUDIENCE: Please respond in the comments section or email me so I can plan on you coming!

a little somethin' somethin' to brighten your holidays!

I hope your Christmas brings you great surpises as well!

Inspired.

It is not everyday that you come across truly inspiration content...but today was miraculous! My dearest (and now most favored) friend Kristine sent this to me today:

Feel free to post this and a link to my blog on your blog...or simply save it as your screen saver! hahahahahaha

6 weeks old!

Here is my sweet ruby baby! Isn't she adorable. 6 weeks has gone by so fast. I love this picture because it shows her ruby red lips...what a doll!

Jump for Joy

I have a new toy! Nothing is more exciting to me than a new pair of shoes or (drum roll please) a NEW LENS! Thanks to another wonderful photographer, I picked up this very expensive lens, for less! Yes I am a bargain hunter through and through. Here is a very fuzzy picture I picked up off the web, needless to say, here is my holiday joy (it came a little early).
Photographers Note: It is a Nikkor AF-S 24-70 2.8G (a real beauty...and a must have for group shots)

EMBARASSING MOMENT #3269: a moment at the gym

A few years ago I used to teach quite often (5-7 times a week) at at a well known local gym. During that time quite a few men started attending my Pump class (a group weight lifting class). After that class grew in popularity, I encouraged the men to broaden their aerobic insight and try some of my other classes, in particular, my interval training class. In this class I often had the participants step up on a bench and do a jumping jack and then step down and do a jumping jack in sequence to the music. This is an excellent move to vary your work out and keep your heart rate up. While leading the class, I yelled out "Jack up." A few of the men where having a hard time following with the rest of the class. So I continued to yell out more leads. I kept calling out commands and realized that a few men in the back of the class had completely stopped what they were doing. They just stood and stared at me, looking a little awkward.

A wave of morbid realization rushed over me as I realized that I had just yelled over the microphone, "Jack up...JACK OFF!"

Moral of the Story: When you attend one of my interval classes, ignore what I say.

SHOT of the Day

I love this shot...such a cute family!
Hey thanks Sievert Family for the great fall shots! You were a blast to work with. Luv, erin

Monday's FIT TIP MANIA!!!

Last night a good friend came over to teach me how to make home made caramels from heavy cream...yum! They turned out awesome, a little too awesome. I cant seem to keep myself away from the pan of caramels. I'm sure some of you out there know what I am talking about. It's as if the pan of caramels is talking to me, taunting me, trying to lure me to eat more and more and MORE! AGGGGHHHHHH...so I decided to heat up a bowl of vegetable chicken soup, drink a glass of water and munch on an apple. Surprisingly, after I filled my tummy with the warm fulfilling soup, my will-power has revved up. (kung foo chop) Back off CARAMELS!

TIP OF THE DAY: If you find your self mesmerized by the sweet Christmas treats lying around your home, fill your belly with something warm and satisfying (a chunky soup) and drink a glass of water. Just having a full stomach will help you walk away from those treats having only eaten a few instead of the entire pan!

CHRISTMAS TIME.

I love to see the lights at Christmas time. I remember lying under the tree staring up at the twinkling lights until my eyes went blurry. I still feel that awe when I see the beautiful Christmas lights on homes and especially at temple square! I shot this picture two weeks ago when my family went up to see the nativities and lights in Salt Lake City. Beautiful!

WATCH THIS!

Does this video sum up your past Christmas memories?

SON OF A *($#@!!!

YES, I AM PEEVED! I just burned away the last 3 hours and 2 phone batteries in a useless effort of obtaining WICKED tickets.
After 3482 phone calls (I held a phone in each hand)
234 page re-loads (accessing arttix with my toes)
and 2 dead phone batteries (both phones died),
I am feeling a wee bit upsent that I DON'T have WICKED tickets.

Now they are sold out and I am SAD, sad, sad.

so WICKED?

So, today tickets for WICKED went on sale at the Capitol Theater at 7am. They also go on sale online at 10am.

ASK THE AUDIENCE: Who else out there is dying to see this hit musical? If you have seen it, what is your take?

Scene II Act III: Yet another embarassing moment of my life

The Setting: The lights are brightly lit in the multi-purpose room of the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center. The walls are a barren reddish cinder block and the floor is covered in a rubber matting for multi purposes. Chris Brown tunes blare out of an 94' sony boom box as a dark haired, sweat drenched, aerobic instructor lay prone on the floor directing the class in a 'great bum' move.

Erin (Dark haired, sweat drenched, aerobic instructor): Lay flat on your back, bend your knees bringing your feet closer to your bum, but leaving them on the floor, and lift your hips up squeezing your butt. Raise your hips up and down.

(The women in the class follow, some grunting in exertion)

Woman 1: Aggghhh! My butt hurts...I feel like I have a charlie horse in my butt.

Erin: Isn't that great! Good times at Aerobics!

Woman 2: I feel like I cant lift my butt any more.

Erin (raising her voice for the class to hear): Keep it going ladies. Pulse to the beat, FASTER! (Erin starts singing the next song on the cd to the music)Your butt loves this! "Push it, Push it, to the limit, limit..."

Setting: As Erin is singing at the top of her lungs, and women in the classroom are grunting and groaning. Erin hears the low chuckle of male voices. She turns to notice a group of community league basketball players mulling around the door staring at the women working out on the floor.

Male Player: (feeling awkward and turning shades of beet red) Uh...I don't think this is the room for us.

Setting: Ladies turn bright red, and Corbin Bleu can be heard singing, "Push it, Push it, to the Limit, Limit...".

The time has come to admit the truth...

Many years ago I sat on a hard vinyl covered bench, waiting for my mother to pick me up. I was a 7th grader at Wheeler Intermediate School, a small school in central Oahu, and I had made my way to the nurse's office because I didn't feel good. I felt hot and sticky and leaned my head toward the open window, hoping to catch a cool breeze. That wasn't very likely in the middle of September in Hawaii. Between the unbearable thick heat and my rising flu-like symptoms, I felt TERRIBLE!
Across the room from me sat another dark skinned girl. Now that I think about it, she probably didn't look that different from me, long dark hair, deep brown eyes and red dirt stained feet that hung over her slippers. She nodded to me and asked, "You sick or wat?" Nani, was her name, I knew her from my English class.
"Yeah, my mom's coming." I volunteered the extra info.
"oh, I got da ISS." She offered back. ISS stood for 'In School Suspension', and I wasn't surprised Nani was detained for it, she often was the center of attention...and not in a good way.
I just nodded back to her, and laid my head back down by the window. Within minutes, the door swung open and in walked a tall, haole lady. "Erin, I'm here." She said to me as she walked over to the counter to sign me out. Nani perked up. "Eh, who dat?" She asked in her think pidgin.
"Oh, it's my mom."
Nani looked at me confused, so I added, "I'm adopted. She's not my real mom."
"Ohhh" Nani said, "She's real haole, yah?"
With a small smile, I replied, "yah."

It's been over 15 years since I told that story, and since then I have probably misled quite a few more people. But I would now like to admit that the 'tall haole lady' is actually my REAL MOM! Yes, I know, she is fair and tall and thin...I, on the other hand, do not seem to posess those same attributes; but, let the truth be known, she is my mom. I love you mom!

I wish...

Now that I am trying to fight the after baby bulge, I have added jogging to my weekly fitness goals. The problem is, I HATE TO JOG...without some rockin' music. Because I have taught aerobics for so log (12 years) it seems inconceivable to have a good workout with out something to rock out to. I have decided that I WISH I had an IPOD.


ASK THE AUDIENCE:
-Do you have an IPOD?
-Is it worth the money?
-If I simply cant afford an IPOD, what else could I do?

GOOD EATS: fast festive gingerbread

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I know today is Monday, thus I normally post on Fitness...if you want to read that post, it is below this post. But if you need another holiday pick me up besides fitness, then here is some easy to make comfort cookies!

Are you in the mood for a timeless holiday treat, but you don't have the time or energy to slave away in the kitchen? This recipe is the solution. With almost no preparation time, these sweet treats are done before you know it!

fast festive gingerbread
Cook Time: 8-10 min.
Bake Temp: 375 Degrees

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or with a light greasing.
2. In a mixer, combine:
1 spice cake mix
2 large eggs (at room temp.)
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
3. Mix until ingredients are wet and no cake mix remains dry. 4. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch in thickness.
5. Using your favorite holiday cookie cutter, cut out shapes in dough and place 1" apart on prepared cookie sheet. 6. Bake, and promptly remove from oven. Let cool on a cookie sheet. Cookies should be slightly chewy...and very yummy.

*Optional: To add some festive flair, dip cooled cookies in dipping chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy cane.

Monday's Fit Tip Mania

HOW is the HOLIDAY HUSSLE going? Or are you lacking that Hussle in your bustle? (Really I have no idea what I am saying, but I thought it sounded catchy.) I will keep today's tip short and simple since I seem to be at a lack for coherent things to say.

TIP OF THE DAY: PROCRASTINATE! The holiday season can be so wonderfully stressful. Am I right or what? If you are anything like me, you probably have a food/stress reaction. I feel like one of Pavlov's dogs. As soon as the stress in my life starts heating up, I start salivating for the Junk Food. So, to ward off those night time munchies (or in other words, chocolate craved binges) take a load off. What you don't finish today can always wait for tomorrow. There is no need to stress the big stuff. And really, a year from now who is going to remember that you forgot your potluck dish for the company party, or your kids wore pjs to church? NOone...so RELAX...take a load off and kick the stress eating in the gut!

to BEFRIEND or not to BEFRIEND...that is the question

After having launched myself into the world of facebook I found myself giddy with all the reconnections I have made. People I haven't talked to since high school have been coming out of the wood works to become my 'friend'. All of a sudden I feel so warm, fuzzy, and welcomed in the cyber world; however, I am left with quite the quandary.

Ask the Audience:
What do you do when someone you don't know (or simply cant recall where you know them from) wants to add you as a friend?

I have mulled this over in my mind and have come to a crossroads. I can either befriend the unknown cyber person who is seeking my friendship and feel utterly flattered. Perhaps this person is in need of my friendship because he/she saw my info page and felt a connection to my flamboyant personality that must have oozed out of the brief 4 lines of vague personal info I allowed to be viewed online. I feel so elated, so thrown back into high school when I was the nerdy girl and a cute boy would wave in my direction...and really who cares if he was waving at the hot popular girl behind me.

Or,

I am led to wonder if this unknown cyber person is merely seeking to add me as a friend because he/she collects 'friends' like one gathers clutter. Am I simply to be added to their list of friends and then cast off and never spoken to (wall to wall) again?

What is really going on here (confused 13 year old girl stuck in Erin's 29 year old body)...

LOVE SHOT!

Here are two of my favorite shots from a shoot I did a week ago. Michael and Brianna are such a great couple...thanks for the fun shooting. To find out how I took these shots, see below for the recipe!

PICTURE RECIPE: For shot number one I took the couple off center to show the depth of the bridge, then I blurred out the bridge by shooting at 80 mm and dropping my f-stop to 3.5. My shutter was at 250 and it was overcast outside and in the late afternoon. In post editing I used Totally Rad Actions: Boutwell magic Glasses (50 %) and Prettyizer (80%).

TIP: to add a little flair and excitement to your shot, change the perspective. Who says your subject needs to be in the center. Try random angles...don't be afraid to lay on the ground.

For the second shot I had the couple in front of a great old barn. I kept my f-stop about 5.6 and shot them with the same 80mm lens. I had fun in the post Editing and used (TRA) 'green with envy' only on the barn, the grass, the weeds and their jeans. I stayed clear of their faces, hands and hair so they still looked natural. I finished with Boutwell Magic Glasses (60%) and Prettyizer (20%).

For more questions email me at erinsummerill(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Have fun shooting!

Have you seen this woman?

This is my oldest sister Leslie, who resides in Washington state. She made a suprise stop in Utah for Thanksgiving! I was so happy to spend Thanksgiving with them. Then on Thanksgiving night, Leslie and I went to the MODBOD sale and (shhhhh) we cut in line! We had such a blast grabbing clothing and worming our way through the crowd. Then on Sunday, I finally was able to get some shots of her and Troy. Here they are in all their fall glory. The fall picture was taken in the road in front of my house. I love this one below the most!

HOW TO: I shot the above pictures in natural light (no flash). My settings were: ISO 400, F-Stop 3.5-5.6, Shutter 125. I shot right before it got dark, so I had to keep my shutter low and I played around with my F-stop to let enough light in. In POST EDITING, I used Boutwell Magic glasses on all of the shots. The for the first I used: Old School Fast, for the second shot: Lux (soft), for the third shot: boring B&W, and for the fourth: Lux (soft) and Yin Yang around the edges. Have fun shooting?

For the LOVE of Reading

I LOVE a good book...no, on second thought, I like a good book, I LOVE a great book! I recently read the wittiest, humor packed, irony laced novel that I truly think you should read too. Shannon Hale's novel, Austenland is engaging from the start, playing off of the well known, Pride and Prejudice. Have you ever completely fallen in love with a character from a novel? Does Edward in Twilight ring a bell? If that fantasy love is a plague in your life, then this novel is for you. Austenland combines a theatrical look at how a modern day woman would fare in a Pride and Prejudice setting. This cunning novel is more than meets the eye and the reader is left utterly surprised and pleased with the brilliant outcome.
If you love a great romantic comedy, this book is for you. And, the best part is, it is a short read. I know you are busy this holiday season, but don't miss out on the joy of Austenland!

WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? Please share, because I am always in the mood for a good book!

Shot of the Day

WANNA KNOW HOW I GOT THIS SHOT, HERE IS THE RECIPE:

I shot this over the weekend in my front room using my studio lighting. I used an umbrella light as the primary light (see the round light in her eyes), and a soft box as the secondary. I purchased material at Joanns and used that as the back drop. Then in post editing, I used photoshop and TOTALLY RAD ACTIONS. For this shot I used: Boutwell Magic Glasses, Lux, Prettyizer (at 20 %) and then Boring Sepia. If you are ever interested in how I got a certain look to a shot, feel free to email me and I will share some tips! Have fun shooting...and more fun editing!

Monday's Fit Tip MANIA!!!

THANKSGIVING?!?

Need I say more? If you are like me, you gorged yourself on stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and pie; and right about now you feel bloated, tired, and pretty uncomfortable in those jeans. But hey if you don't fit this description, then ROCK ON, but if you fell into the Turkey trap that I did, this post is for you.
With Christmas around the corner, why not spend the next three weeks feeling better than you have in a while? Give yourself the early gift of fitness. This weeks tips will help you stay on track and get all that busy holiday business done.

1. EAT BEFORE YOU GO -During the holidays I get up, get out and get shopping and realize halfway through the day I am starving. Crud, then I am left to pig out on fast food! Not only does my pocketbook take a hit, but so does my figure. Then a week later when I am trying to shove on that black holiday frock, I look like a stuffed sausage! I say, to curb those crazy cravings, eat a healthy breakfast, and pack some carrots for a day of shopping. Just think, while you are shopping you could be dropping...pounds that is.

2. EXERCISE EARLY - No matter what your normal routine is, when the holidays are around justifications like I will work out later just don't cut it. By the time 5pm rolls around you are either too tired or too bogged down with festive plans to take time out to take care of yourself. So get up, run over to the gym, go on a walk, or pop in a great 30-60 minute fitness video and get it done! You will feel so much more confident throughout the day if you have checked that one off your list early.

Stick these two tips out for the next few weeks and you wont be looking like a stuffed sausage when you pull on that great little holiday outfit!

Has it really been 4 weeks?

4 weeks ago tonight I was frantically cleaning my house like a mad woman. I even went as far as to iron my bed sheets because the looked sloppy and unwrinkled when I pulled them out of the dryer. 4 weeks ago tonight I swept, vacuumed, mopped and then scrubbed on hands and knees all the floors in my home, washed and then remade all the beds in the home, dusted, windexed, cleansered and ironed practically everything. Finally at midnight Mark convinced me to head to bed...and 6 hrs and 30 minutes later my water kind of broke! (Side Note: I had always heard that when your water broke there would be a gushing of fluids or a popping sound...neither happened to me) Thus, I wasn't quite sure what happened. Did I pee myself? Was I all of a sudden really sweaty in just that area? I couldn't be sure, so Mark and I packed our hospital bag and headed to the hospital. Once there the nurse tested me to see if my water had broke and sure enough, she too was unsure! I wasn't really dripping, leaking, gushing...whatever you want to call it; so she called my doctor and he was unavailable. (Apparently some other woman wanted to have a baby that day too!)
Mark and I decided to head home and wait for my Doc to call. Finally at 4:30pm he called and had us meet him at his office. There he tested me again to see if my water had truly broken and promptly announced that it had! We rushed over to the hospital, waited for contractions to start, waited some more...then with a little medicinal help, little Ruby made her debut at 7:34 that evening.
It really is how amazing how fast time passes when you are sleep deprived and posses the smell of curdled baby spit up. I love my sweet Ruby and find myself gazing at her everyday feeling overwhelmed that I have been so blessed. On this Thanksgiving weekend I feel so full of rich blessings. Blessings that appear in the form of sleepless nights and endless "mom, I need...", "mom, he hit me...", and "mom, I'm hungry...". Whether your blessings are in the form of pint size people needing your constant attention and help, or the joy of parents, brothers, sisters and extended family I hope that this Thanksgiving, you were able to enjoy those simple moments!





The above shots are Ruby at 2 weeks old.

Twice BITTEN!

I hate to admit it, but in the last few days I have gone to see TWILIGHT TWICE! I know, I know, you are probably thinking that I love it...So, not true. I first saw the midnight showing and was so groggy that I walked out of the theater thinking, what the crap was that all about, a little bizarro 70's background music, a few too many slow mo's of quirky facial expressions and voila' you have the latest greatest pop culture movie hit! I decided because of the late night, the lack of sleep, and over-exuberant teen packed theater, I was unable to give the movie a fair shake. So, I went again! I checked out the movie today. Now that I have seen it twice, I have decided that I really want to know what you think!

ASK THE AUDIENCE: What did you think of TWILIGHT, Bella, Edward, and the whole grunge rock cast? Be utterly honest and let it rip!

Monday's Fit Tip MANIA!!!

BACK BY (not really any requests) but my PERSONAL NEED!

I am so excited to launch Monday's Fit Tip Mania. Please feel free to read through the random tidbits of fitness tips or add to them by posting in the comments section. I have been teaching aerobics and personal training for the last 12 years. The tips I post on my blog are tools of the trade that I have picked up along the way. If they work for you, GREAT! If they don't jive with your style just discard and wait for next weeks tip.

TIP OF THE DAY: (I actually picked this tip up from my Rockin' sister-in-law Shari, thanks!) If you just cant seem to find the time to get out of the house, say you have too many kids to load in the mini-van and haul to the rec-center; then this fit tip is just for you. Use your stairs to work your own personal 'StairMaster'. Set a timer in your home, pop in your ipod or pull out a great book and begin walking. If you don't want to just walk up and down the stairs for the given time, then add some distance around the home. You could walk up the stairs, around the family room, into each bedroom and then back down the stairs. Whatever the track, just keep moving until your timer rings.

If you are advanced in your fitness level, then add some great interval spurts. Walk or jog the stairs 10 times and then add a 1 minute of plyometric squat jumps or lunges! Whatever you choose, keep your heart rate at a level 6-7 out of 10 while walking the steps, and then boost that heart rate up to 8 for your 1 minute interval!

GET FIT!

Want a Free Photo Book?!?

If you missed yesterday's Oprah show, the owners of Snapfish are giving away free 8 1/2 x 11 photo books! Follow the links on the Oprah show to cash in on this great deal! You only have to pay shipping and handling...THAT'S AMAZING!

click here:
www.oprah.com

Got Tips for Holiday Healthy Living?

Hey all, I am collecting your tips for Holiday Healthy Living right now. Did you know the average American gains between 5 and 10 pounds over the holidays?!? Now that baby is out, and I am trying to get back IN to my old clothes, I am going to restart my Fit Tip Monday...so I would love to share some of your fit tips every Monday over the next 8 weeks. If you have a great Fit Tip, leave it in the comments or shoot me an email at erinsummerill (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Kissy Sneaky Peaky!!!

Here is a little sneak peak of the cutest couple! I first met Crystal Nagy in Hawaii when Mark and I lived in Laie. She is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Here is Spencer Hafoka and Crystal totally lip-locked. I love a good kissy picture.

What the Heck is FACEBOOK?

As of 9:41 pm this evening, I have now answered that question. I have just signed up on the illusive FACEBOOK. For months I have heard friends talk about connecting with others on FACEBOOK; and frankly, I have felt a wee bit left out. So, I buckled under the pressure and I joined. If you are on FACEBOOK, give me a shoutout!

Eat. Sleep. Poop

...no, not me, her....RUBY!

Today Ruby will be one week old. In the last 7 days I have endured 7 great events. I have:

1. Gone through 1 1/2 packages of diapers.
2. Used 3 packages of wipes (I am trying to get a handle on this little girl thing)
3. Disposed of 1 1/2 packages of Pads (ewwww gross...sorry I had to share)
4. Changed into 3 different shirts a day (spit up)
5. Stayed in 1 pair of sweats (I love my paint covered, hole tattered, 15 year old teal green sweats...I refuse to take them off)
6. Made a quick emergency dash to the Insta-care yesterday, only to be told the massive, intense, stabbing pain in my back is either a pinched nerve, torn muscle...or a BLOOD CLOT?!? I am supposed to watch it and see if it gets worse.
7. Slept everyday with my sweet Ruby on my chest or by my side, listening to her baby murmurings and peaceful squeaking...HAVING A GIRL IS THE BEST!

Ruby Ruby Ruby RUBY!

My friend, a great photographer, Tammy Merryweather, took these wonderful shots of Ruby just after she was born! I am so in love with my little girl! GIRLS ARE THE BEST!

He is totally wrapped around her tiny little fingers...I knew he would see the light and glory of having a sweet baby girl! She is daddy's little girl.

I took the shots of her in pink this morning...her first morning at home! Isn't she so lovely?!?

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

for choosing the closest date and time - Rachel Plunkett (Nov. 2nd 6pm)

for choosing the EXACT weight - Jay and Cassie (7 lbs 5 oz)

You have both won random cute gifts that I have hand made, please email me your mailing address and you will recieve a great surprise!

And the Winner of the CONTEST is...

(check later for a current update)