Snow again......

It snowed another 4 inches today, and that on top of the probably 2 to 3 inches already here. It has been snowing for over a week, which here in Boise is just weird. It is like I never left Montana! In fact, I think there is more snow here than we had in Gardiner most of last year. One thing about this snow though, it is really making me miss Gardiner and the park. At least there I could ski right out my door!

Idaho Botanical Gardens

Last weekend a group of friends and I went out to the Idaho Botanical Gardens for their "Winter Garden A-Glow." The entire gardens are decked out in Christmas lights, There was also hot chocolate, bonfires and carolers. We all had a lot of fun looking at the lights and enjoying each others company. Afterwords we headed to Merritt's for scones! The picture is of my roomate, Marianne, and I at the gardens.

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party and other happenings

I have stayed pretty busy as usual since Thanksgiving break. We had a nice time up in Yakima for Thanksgiving and spent the time playing games, watching football and cutting down a Christmas tree. It was nice to see everyone and I look forward to more family fun in a few weeks for Christmas.

Our co-ed soccer team is doing really well this session. In fact we are in first place! We have one game left this week and then we will play in the championship game the following week. We are all pretty excited and I absolutely love playing soccer all the time again.

My pull-up!

So, this summer I set two, which then became three, goals for myself fitness wise. The first was to run a mile. It was hard at first, but I accomplished that goal during the Main Street Mile and now it is no sweat to run that little distance. Second was to run a 5K. I accomplished that in September at the Idaho Women's Fitness Celebration. That was a little harder but I still did it. And while I like to run I am not sure how much I enjoy running longer distances. Anyways, goal number three was to be able to do 1 un-assisted pull-up. This goal took a little longer to accomplish but as of this week I can do one, and sometimes two!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You've done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.
--Mary Fairchild

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember those things which you are greatful for this year. Below are just a few things I am thankful for this year.

1. My friends and family

I could not have done many of the things I have accomplished this year without the love, help and support of my friends (both old and new) and family. I am very grateful to all of you.

To Adam - I am very grateful that you never lost faith and hope. Thank you for your missionary work with me. I am grateful for all of your love and support and always being there. I am thankful that you never gave up on me and thank you for making me go to the Y.

To Heather - It has been quite a year for you but I am grateful for you for always being true to who you are. Thank you for supporting me even if it is something you would never believe in yourself. Thank you for your frienship, I love getting closer to you as we become older.

To Dad, Linda and my mom - Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for letting my live with you for a month, for supporting me and my decisions and just being there.

To Jennifer - Thank you for being my best friend and always being just a phone call away.

2. Ryan Moody and CrossFit

The most noticeable change you can see this year is my physical appearance. All of that is thanks to my trainer, Ryan Moody, and CrossFit. I am well on the path to having a healthy life and have never felt fitter. I have direction in my life, a new found passion and have become a gym rat. I enjoy seeing the pounds lost, but I more so love setting goals, accomplishing them and setting new ones.

I am very grateful for Ryan and all he has done for me. I am grateful that he believed in me, even when I didn't. I am grateful that he was patient with me. I am grateful that he encourages me and never lets me settle or give up. I am grateful that he sparked a fire within me and mentors me to help others.

50 pounds!

Just a little update, I have officially lost 50 pounds, 51 lbs actually, in the last 6 months! It has not been easy, but it has been worth it and I look forward to continuing the journey.

Halloween

Wow, it seems as though I missed blogging the whole month of October. How did that happen? It has been a pretty busy, month where I have just been doing my normail routine things. I moved out of my apartment and have been living with my parents for the last 3 week or so. Later this week I am moving into a house with some friends. Other than that my month has just been work, the gym, church and soccer.

Halloween was a lot of fun this year and Stephen's party kicked things off right. As you can see I went as Supergirl. I went to 2 other parties and ended the evening watching a movie on an outdoor projection screen with some good friends.

40 pounds!

Well, yesterday was weigh-in day and I am very excited and proud to announce that I have now lost a total of 41 pounds!

Out with the old, in with the new

For my birthday I was given money to buy a new pair of running shoes, which were desperately needed. My old ones had served me well through many miles and workouts but were way past their life span. I was so excited to go down to a local running shop and purchase my new shoes. The paid I settled on was a paid of Asics. They are comfortable and will hopefully be broken in soon.

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday and I couldn't be happier with all the changes I have made since my last birthday. I started the day with a special b-day workout at the gym. Then in the afternoon I went to the stake center for church thing, the Relief Society General Broadcast. After the broadcast the guys brought us dessert. It was the first time I had had sugar in months, but I figured my birthday is one day it is allowed! After the treats Jamee and I went to the Majestic Theatre, where we met up with a bunch of my friends, to watch the movie Eagle Eye. I thought it was pretty good. After the movie we ended the night at Denny's for breakfast and hot chocolate. It was a good birthday and I am so grateful for all my wonderful friends I spent the day with. Tonight we are celebrating again with the family.

Stay tuned for Monday. It is my weekly weigh-in day and I should be hitting another major milestone.

Idaho Women's Fitness Celebration

Well, the race was yesterday and I DID IT!!!!!!! It was pouring down rain, lightning and thundering but let up a little during the actual race. I ran the entire 3.1 miles and was very proud of myself. There were a couple sections, especially at the top of the huge hill, that I wanted to stop and walk. I never did though, usually that is when I would channel Stephen and Ryan into my head and their motivation and words of encouragement they are always giving helped me along. Hearing Heather cheering me on from the sideline as I sprinted the last few yeards helped a lot too. A year ago, when I walked this race, I would have never imagined I would be running the entire thing this year. Now it is time to start training for the next couple of events which are in April and May. These include a sprint triathalon in April, Bloomsday the start of May and a Crossfit Washington competion in mid-May.

The pictures above are of my sister Heather and I and the other picture is of my friend Jamee and I.

Ch..ch...ch...changes!

Changes are happening and I couldn't be happier! In April I set several goals in relation to my health, weight and fitness. If you read below you would know that my first fitness goal was to run a mile, which I accomplished and am now working towards running a 5k. Well, my first weight goal was to lose 25 lbs. I hit this mark about a week ago and before I got around to posting the news I lost more weight and have now lost 30 lbs total! THIRTY pounds! I couldn't be happier and more thrilled with my acomplishments. This week I have also really started to notice the changes in my shape (the fact that my clothes seem to fall off me could be a clue). It's crazy thinking back to the person I used to be and all the changes I have gone through since moving back here to Boise. For years I would read all the health and fitness magazines, read all the books, purchase the DVD's and start fitness plan after plan. Nothing ever lasted long and I would end up just dreaming of one day getting fit again. I am not sure how my switch finally got turned on, but it did, and I am more motivated and determined that I ever imagined I could be. I love setting goals for myself and working hard to accomplish them. I love going to the gym and working out hard. I love running. I love sweating. I love being able to play soccer agin and I love getting skinnier! I also love motivating other people through my own experiences and hard work.

I have a clear picture in my mind of how I am going to look and am excited to start working towards that next goal. In the words of Ali (Biggest Loser Season 5 winner) Believe It, Be It!

Fun on the 4th

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. I sure did. I went with my friends Chad, Logan, Laurie and Logans family to Arrowrock Dam to boat. We stayed on the lake for about 6 hours and had so much fun. I am very sunburnt now though. (I forgot to keep re-applying the sunscreen. It should fade to a tan soon and then I should be set for the rest of the summer.) I attempted to wakeboard, but couldn't get up. I am going again in a couple of weeks and I will try again though. The majority of the day was spent tubing in this flat taco looking tube shown above. It was SO MUCH FUN! Logan's dad would drive the boat in cicles and then we would cut back into the wake which would send us flying into the air. I loved it! I even got the highest jump of all of us that sent me high above the boat. The landing was a little rough but still fun.

Comparison pictures

Well, here are two pictures to see the changes that are underway with me. The first picture was taken in early Febuary in Miami. The second picture was taken about 2 weeks ago. I have to add that I can no longer wear the skirt, in fact I threw it out today. It has gotten so big that I had to hold it up while I walked or it would slide right off, and this is the same skirt that was tight on me in February!

I am so thrilled with my changes and am so excited to see them continue.

Main Street Mile

Well, if you have been around me or talked to me recently you would know that I have completely changed my life around since moving back to Boise, and in more ways than one. One of those ways has been taking charge and getting fit and healthy again. I typically work out 6 days a week and am watching the pounds melt off and the muscles grow. I have also never felt better and LOVE being active again. Anyways, I have set several goals for my journey. The first of these goals to run 1 mile without walking. I set the date for last night which was the Main Street Mile in downtown Boise. The Main Street Mile is a 1 mile charity race for Mens Prostate Health. My family joined my Dad and the J105 team and my race day was set. Chad has been working me hard the last month or so, running a mile to half mile after each workout. I had never ran the entire mile, I usually would have to slow and walk part of it. But, I felt more than prepared for the race and was determined to complete the mile and my first goal.

Well, I am happy to say that I DID IT!!!!!!! I may have been the last person to finish in my heat (only b/c a few nameless people cheated!) but I never once slowed down and I never once gave up. I gave it my all and came across the finish line a winner in my eyes. Now on to the next goal.....

Rafting

Yesterday, my friend Charity invited me and our friend Logan to join her family in a rafting trip with Brother Swinkles from her family's ward. We rafted the Payette River from Banks to Beehive Bend. It is about a 7 mile stretch and is rated a Class III. It is an easy stretch of the river, but most of Charity's family has not been rafting before so it was a great place to get them out and introduce them to rafting. It was a perfect day out on the river, gorgeous blue skies and SUN! We all had so much fun, even though we are a little sunburned today, and can't wait to go again! Thank you so much Charity for inviting Logan and I along with you and your family!

Erinn

This week is Hell Week at the gym. Basically it is a mark to see how far you have come and the sequence starts over again. Today we did Erinn again, which is described below. Well, last week I completed the workout with 33.5 sets. Today I did 37 sets!

Believing in Yourself

Each day I get a Healthy Reflections email and thought I would share today's because I liked it:

"Limitations can either define us or give us a challenge to outwit. When you look at your abilities, do you see boundaries and limits, or do you see possibilities and potential? Obsessing about weaknesses can blind us to the untapped abilities we already have. You have talent. Everyone does. The secret to success is to find that talent, develop it and push it as far as you can. Grandma Moses might have been a lousy bowler, Einstein probably couldn't sing a lick, Michelangelo could've been unable to speak well in public. So what? They knew what they were good at and rode that pony. Your talent might be right in front of you: where do you get the most compliments? What seems to come easily to you? What do people ask your advice for? Live there. Don't let the rest get in the way."

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do" John Wooden

YMCA

One of the first things I did once I moved to Boise was join the West Boise YMCA. I met with a trainer, started a routine that included pure cardio somedays with cardio and weights on other days. It was going great but I was yearning for something more. Enter Adam and the world of CrossFit. Adam had been going to the Homecourt YMCA for CrossFit classes with his friends. I must tell you that I was a little hesitant at first because I would hear his horror stories about how killer the workouts were. He assured me though that the trainers adjust each workout to the individual. So, I trusted him and my mom and I joined him one Friday (about 3 weeks ago). I was hooked right away. Ryan and Chad (the trainers) are both very encouraging, are great motivators and are great at kicking your butt, getting the most out of you each day. My routine has now changed and I attend the CrossFit class 3 days a week currently and am thinking of even pumping that up one more day.

So, what is CrossFit? Basically, it is a strength and conditioning program that pushed you to your max, getting you more fit and stronger each class. Each day when you get to the gym there is a Workout of the Day posted on a whiteboard. Each workout has a name like Helen, Erinn, Filthy Fifties, Murph, etc. Some of these are timed workouts, others are not. Well, for the last 2 weeks I was doing well, going longer and stronger with each class. On Monday however, Ryan showed several of us an article in Muscle and Fitness magazine about CrossFit. Here is the link if you would like to read an excerpt of the article: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/feature/189. I found the article very motivating and even went online to do more reading about the program. Here is my favorite saying from what I have read:

Rules of Perseverance:

Rule #1: Take one more step

Rule #2: When you don’t think you can take another step, refer to Rule #1.

Well, with these words in my head, and the motivation from the articles, I hit the class yesterday with a new found confidence. The Workout of the Day was Erinn, which is a timed workout. Erinn is comprised of completing as many series as you can in 30 minutes. The series are comprised of 5 push ups, 5 squats, 5 kettlebell swings and 5 mountain climbers. Well, I ROCKED the workout and completed 33.5 series! I finished with the same intensity as I started and never stopped the full workout. Chad was awesome and really pushed me at the end. As soon as the time was called I collapsed from exhaustion and was sweating like a pig. I felt amazing though! I was so proud of myself and am ready to attack each workout with the determination I did yesterday.

Back in Boise

Well, I have been back in Boise for about a month now and am loving it. I have only had to wear a coat once since I left Montana and that is great! I have been so busy, I still don't have half of my things unpacked though. (Pictures of my apartment will be posted soon, I am waiting to have things unpacked first.) Most of my days involve working, the gym and homework. If I am lucky I squeeze in a TV show or two and unpacking.

Right now I am most looking forward to May. I will start a new job with Blue Cross of Idaho on the 5th. The following weekend I am heading to Hagerman to help the Knapps with the plant sale (and pick up hanging basket). Then the following weekend I am planning to run/walk a 10K in the Idaho Potato Marathon.

Has it really been that long?

Wow, I can't believe I have been away from my blog for almost a year. Crazy! The last year has been filled with many ups and downs but I think I am finally going in the right direction. I have given my notice at work and March 12th will be my last day. I am then planning on moving back to Boise. For once though I am moving because that is where I am feeling called to be and not because that is the only place I have to go. I think it will be good to be "home" again and near family. I can't wait to get an apartment and finally be out on my own.

This past year has not really been filled with much happenings in my life. I have mostly just been working and doing homework. 2008 started off great though, I just got back from a 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise with my family. I love every minute and really miss the sun.